When I hear them say they are listening to their fans my first thought is always 'No, they're not.' Actions speak louder than meaningless words, in my view. After spending literally hours and hours playing Sims 3, I find myself totally disappointed with the direction Sims 4 has taken, to such an extent I rarely open it. On those rare occasions when I do open the game, I tend to leave after only a short time to go and find a game on Steam which interests me more.
The crazy thing is that I really was open to spending more money on the Sims because I loved the almost unlimited customisation that Sims 3 offered. Sims 4 is so shallow in comparison. Oh well, they lost me as a loyal customer. I've moved on and am not at all surprised to hear that others have too.