Edit: This issue is currently under investigation by EA and the Microsoft team:https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Feedback/Active-investigation-Sims-4-EA-Play-DLC/m-p/10528154#M52053I don't know if this is the correct section, and sorry if this has already been posted and I've simply missed it; but thought it should be reported somewhere and brought to the attention of EA and Simmers.I'm on Xbox One so don't know if it's only an issue there, but the new Cottage Living pack is being shown as being free:https://i.imgur.com/9LqXUe6.jpgObviously I knew this was too good to be true, but clicked anyway to see what was going on, and i was taken to the usual Xbox store where it was marked as it's usual full price.All other packs are shown as their correct price:https://i.imgur.com/jjlJpAF.jpgI just don't want anyone to get caught out and pay for a game they had no intention of paying for. It's false advertising at best, and leading to accidental purchases at worse.Those who have got the new pack, I hope you enjoy it and can't wait to see lots of pictures in the forums!Thanks!

Is this because it's not actually released until tomorrow? (I wasn't sure, I thought it was today, sorry!) Even if that's the case, I still don't think it should be shown as being free when you still need to pay to preorder. :smile:

That is weird and concerning, though it seems it does tell you in the cart rather than finding out after the charge. This should probably be in console discussions because the people most affected are theoretically there. I haven't heard of this happening on PC.

Actually, worse yet, a kid's purchase. Sometimes parents hand over card info more easily than they should and may not pay attention beyond the "free" page until they see the charge later. 100% carelessness, but hey, why would the store page be wrong even if they know nothing about the Sims? Maybe it is a promotion like the free base game. They may really not know.My parents gave up keeping track of a lot of my games well before the digital video game age cemented and there weren't bugged store pages.

What if someone put a few packs in their cart at once and doesn’t do the math in their head so they don’t realize the total is off? What if someone is overwhelmed by the pack options and doesn’t know which one is newest/shouldn’t be free because simming isn’t at the forefront of their minds (like it seems to be in ours??)It definitely shouldn’t say free.

@babajayne Yes, not everyone keeps up with Sims news, pack releases, social media/forums. My other half told me that maybe EA was "just being nice", and he has much more brains than me. Also, not all players are adults, and children have been known to rack up expensive bills due to making in-game purchases without their parents knowledge. Whether it's obvious to players or not, it shouldn't be labeled as free if it isn't.

New Pack Falsely Advertised as Free

fjb792
4 years ago
This is a pretty big oversight.
I'm not surprised though. Does anyone remember when they were accidently adding Journey to Batuu to everyone's purchases? Origin needs better oversight.
ShopGirl98
New Spectator
4 years ago
I apologise if I've wasted anyone's time. I'm not tech-savvy and honestly did not realise this was an issue on Microsoft's end. I saw it while playing Sims 4, so assumed it was a Sims 4 issue.

I genuinely did not want anyone getting caught out by this mistake, regardless of whose mistake it was.

https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Feedback/Active-investigation-Sims-4-EA-Play-DLC/m-p/10528154#M52053

It is currently under investigation by EA and the Microsoft team.
DragonAge_300905
Seasoned Traveler
4 years ago
I don't feel sorry for marketing, in fact I don't like marketing in any company. I used to get calls from my cable supplier asking to add channels. I would scream into the phone "No, I don't want it" and it would still get added to my bill. I would have to call and cancel the order every time. I stopped it by not answering my phone when I don't know the number.

Marketing uses every trick they can think of to get your money. They get no mercy from me!
Cheekybits
4 years ago
It’s sucks BUT if you guys use the Microsoft store you have already agreed to there terms and agreements for the online store. It allows them to change prices at anytime or decline a sale at any point. It states a lot more obviously but I’d check that out. It’s probably the reason they arnt in a rush to fix it.
Cinebar
4 years ago
At no time is it ever the customer's fault if a company advertises game as free when it's not. Period. It's a liability charge and anyone who clicked it believing it's free should receive it as free. Period. That little mistake on EA's end is never the responsibility of the consumer, ever.
EA_Mako
Community Manager
4 years ago
Hey everyone,

I've just removed quite a few posts from the thread. Please keep replies civil, as there's really no need to be rude with each other when discussing things, especially when someone's just trying to let us know about a potential issue.

As @GirlFromIpanema has mentioned, this is being looked into by Microsoft and on our end. Thanks very much for bringing that to our attention and for showing that concern for everyone!

I'll be locking the thread here, but those of you who'd like to keep up to date on the issue are more than welcome to follow along in the AHQ thread @GirlFromIpanema has kindly linked.
ShopGirl98
New Spectator
4 years ago
Thank you for your reply @Calico45 it makes me feel less that I'm just worrying about nothing.

Yes, it does tell you the correct price in the Xbox store/cart, I just worry that some players may see the word free and purchase it anyway. I see no reason for it to say "free" at all, it's a little misleading, so I assume it's an error.

I wasn't sure if this was just showing on the console homepage or also the homepage on PC. If players on PC aren't seeing this then I'll happily move it. I'm wondering if this would be better reported over on Answers HQ.
Bluebell23456
4 years ago
"GirlFromIpanema;c-17937164" wrote:
Thank you for your reply @Calico45 it makes me feel less that I'm just worrying about nothing.

Yes, it does tell you the correct price in the Xbox store/cart, I just worry that some players may see the word free and purchase it anyway. I see no reason for it to say "free" at all, it's a little misleading, so I assume it's an error.

I wasn't sure if this was just showing on the console homepage or also the homepage on PC. If players on PC aren't seeing this then I'll happily move it. I'm wondering if this would be better reported over on Answers HQ.

No problem and it doesn't hurt, even if it is fixed by the pack dropping. I suspect it is a console issue since I haven't heard about it except for there, but I preordered so mine is already unlocked.

I'd report it to the xbox store, too. It might just be their fault.
ShopGirl98
New Spectator
4 years ago
I appreciate it, thank you. Enjoy the pack!
IbieSimzz
4 years ago
That's... a big "bug", not going to lie. I agree it needs to be fixed right away. If it isn't actually free, it needs to be listed at full price! Maybe it's a glitch somewhere in the console store as well, sometimes listings get bugged and such and it's not always necessarily the seller that made a mistake. I sure hope this gets fixed soon, though, because it's really getting everyone's hopes up for nothing :(