I've just been banned. Please help

[Shauwn]

So, I log in late last night, and see a message that said, "You are Banned for cheating, exploiting, market manipulation, Griefing, etc..."

My expression is like,,, whaaaat?!
I check my emails to see what exactly I got banned for... Nothing at all from SDS... I did nothing wrong.
Who do I contact for an explanation and to get this ban lifted?
I sent an email to [email protected] asking for an explanation of what I did wrong, and for the ban to be lifted.

I actually paid real life currency,,, over a couple hundred dollars from the MLB Shop store for stubs to create a competitive team.. I used real life currency, and they can just ban you for hunches and suspicions of any reason they feel like coming up with?

I remember reading about Fatties getting banned, and eventually he got his lifted..

Do I really need to threaten them with a lawyer as well? I paid real life currency to this company for virtual reality money, then used that virtual currency to buy a team by doing collections, working the market, and opening packs... Not only that, but I've spent hours and hours of my free time grinding to get diamond players... I will not start over, nor do I feel I should have to start over..

So they can just pick ppl out of random and Ban them without any proof of wrong doing?

I understand getting a Lawyer over something so trivial and ridiculous such as a wrongful Ban on a video game sounds ludicrous... But, if the ban is not lifted, I will seek my lawyers council regarding this. If he takes the case, I'm 100% certain I will win a settlement...

But do I really want to waste my time taking it this far? If the Ban isn't lifted, and if I can't enjoy playing with the team I created, I guess I will have no choice to contact my lawyer and see what can be done.... If he laughs and says there's nothing he can do, then it will be the last time I give this company my business.. And, I've been playing The Show since the first game came out in 2006....

So, I'd like to know who else I can contact regarding this wrongful ban..

Thank you..

[kehlis]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Getting a lawyer involved is both incredibly over the top for a video game and a waste of time.

When you agreed to the TOS you consented to them having the permission to revoke your right to play at any time. There is no "case" to win.

All that said, many had their bans lifted by working with SDS. There are several threads on this. So try and work with them to figure it out and if you don't get the result you want just don't support them in the future. Don't spend money on a lawyer for something so trivial for a losing fight though.


Also, don't break your disk in half.

[oski96]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Getting a lawyer involved is both incredibly over the top for a video game and a waste of time.

When you agreed to the TOS you consented to them having the permission to revoke your right to play at any time. There is no "case" to win.

All that said, many had their bans lifted by working with SDS. There are several threads on this. So try and work with them to figure it out and if you don't get the result you want just don't support them in the future. Don't spend money on a lawyer for something so trivial for a losing fight though.


Also, don't break your disk in half.

RE: TOS. That is not necessarily correct. It is not an end-all, be-all for SDS to act in bad faith. Every contract has an implied clause of good faith and fair dealing. This requires SDS to maintain honesty in fact and the observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing.

An arbitrary and/or capricious ban of an account would likely be a violation.

[kehlis]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

RE: TOS. That is not necessarily correct. It is not an end-all, be-all for SDS to act in bad faith. Every contract has an implied clause of good faith and fair dealing. This requires SDS to maintain honesty in fact and the observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing.

An arbitrary and/or capricious ban of an account would likely be a violation.

Completely understood.

I just think it's a waste to get a third party involved for a cost rather than to work with SDS on the issue.

[esham313]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

I would say it would not be worth it due to lawyer fees.

[Ghost Of The Year]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

This reminds me of the man who sued Nike after he nearly curbstomped a man to death.
Nike hadn't warned consumers their shoes could be used as a deadly weapon.
It also reminds me of the guy who sued his cleaners for $54 million . The cleaners lost his pair of pants, causing him $2 million in emotional distress and also the cost of having to rent a car every weekend to drive to a different cleaners.

That said, one man cannot win a case like this. This is the kind of case that only a class action lawsuit has a chance, albeit a flimsy one.

[Speedy]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

You payed over $200 in real life money beyond the $60 price for the game?

I love this game but uh...wow.

[Beatles]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

I actually paid real life currency,,, over a couple hundred dollars from the MLB Shop store for stubs to create a competitive team.. I used real life currency.

[srdclark]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Wait, why would spending money on something he enjoys be a fail? People buy collector's editions all the time. Some people spend way more time on games than others would consider reasonable.

When I was a WoW junkie, I saw this attitude a lot, and I never understood it: Anybody who played more than you, was a no-lifer. Anybody who played less than you, was a noob and a scrub. I knew people who played 50 hours a week, who would make fun of the "losers" who played 60, AND the "losers" who "only" played 40.

Cast those judgmental eyes inward: Who is so obsessed with a video game, that they will lurk on message boards to make fun of people that are similarly obsessed with that same video game, INSTEAD OF PLAYING THAT VIDEO GAME?

You have more in common with the person who spends extra money on a game you both love, than with the person who doesn't play that game at all. To disparage them for loving the game in a different way, is to disparage yourself for loving it at all. Embrace the shared culture that binds you, and respect a difference in expression of a common emotion.

OP: I hope things get sorted out for you. It's the weekend so it may not be resolved quickly, but it seems as if the bulk of the inappropriate bans were eventually reversed.

[Speedy]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Spoiler

This is unnecessary.

It amazes me surrounding a video game when folks put over $100 in it after the sale price; even things like expensive DLC packs (looking at you EA/BF4 at $50+ for premium) seems far too much. Nonetheless, it's not a fail or a facepalm that somebody invested in his/her game more than another. It's there for a reason so I don't blame him for it. Some people buy cars or memorabilia for thousands of dollars when I wouldn't dare...if they have the money and can do it, more power to them.

That said, I'm sure it's heartbreaking OP to know that you spent a lot of time/$$$ to get banned. I would reach out to SCEA via social media and email as a lot of folks that were banned initially had it reversed.

I'm not sure if yours was after the initial banning a couple of weeks back though so maybe anything afterwards is set in stone.

[oski96]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Completely understood.

I just think it's a waste to get a third party involved for a cost rather than to work with SDS on the issue.

I certainly agree - but you assume SDS will start responding to emails, etc. They have not for going on two weeks now.

I would say it would not be worth it due to lawyer fees.

Very reasonable, but to each their own I guess. If it is worth it to this guy, then who's to tell him otherwise?

[oski96]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

This reminds me of the man who sued Nike after he nearly curbstomped a man to death.
Nike hadn't warned consumers their shoes could be used as a deadly weapon.
It also reminds me of the guy who sued his cleaners for $54 million . The cleaners lost his pair of pants, causing him $2 million in emotional distress and also the cost of having to rent a car every weekend to drive to a different cleaners.

That said, one man cannot win a case like this. This is the kind of case that only a class action lawsuit has a chance, albeit a flimsy one.

The drycleaner lawsuit was from a former judge who was having mental issues.

I've never heard about the Nike case.

Whether a case qualifies for a class action does not affect the merits. In any event, class actions generally tend to favor only one party - the Plaintiff's attorneys.

[Syce]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Wait, why would spending money on something he enjoys be a fail? People buy collector's editions all the time. Some people spend way more time on games than others would consider reasonable.

When I was a WoW junkie, I saw this attitude a lot, and I never understood it: Anybody who played more than you, was a no-lifer. Anybody who played less than you, was a noob and a scrub. I knew people who played 50 hours a week, who would make fun of the "losers" who played 60, AND the "losers" who "only" played 40.

Cast those judgmental eyes inward: Who is so obsessed with a video game, that they will lurk on message boards to make fun of people that are similarly obsessed with that same video game, INSTEAD OF PLAYING THAT VIDEO GAME?

You have more in common with the person who spends extra money on a game you both love, than with the person who doesn't play that game at all. To disparage them for loving the game in a different way, is to disparage yourself for loving it at all. Embrace the shared culture that binds you, and respect a difference in expression of a common emotion.

OP: I hope things get sorted out for you. It's the weekend so it may not be resolved quickly, but it seems as if the bulk of the inappropriate bans were eventually reversed.

yup, not too mention why people get upset when people spend their own money a game. the people complaining have no right to tell that person what he should and should not do with his money. if he wants to spend money on a game he loves then why cant he?

[Beatles]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Are you serious? It's digital. It's also on a game most people will move on from in a year. He can't take anything with them into the real world so comparing it to people buying physical cars that they can drive makes no sense. Also, you get Stubbs just by playing the game and selling cards you get. You don't have to spend a dime extra all you need to do is play the game that you bought in the first place. You can even flip cards and make hundreds to thousands of stubs each time you do. None of that costs extra money. Hell, you get a pack just for logging in every 10 days.

Look, I could see spending maybe like $5-20 or so to get a card or two you want quickly but hundreds of dollars? Come on.

[BigOscar]

Re: I've just been banned. Please help

Are you serious? It's digital. It's also on a game most people will move on from in a year. He can't take anything with them into the real world so comparing it to people buying physical cars that they can drive makes no sense. Also, you get Stubbs just by playing the game and selling cards you get. You don't have to spend a dime extra all you need to do is play the game that you bought in the first place. You can even flip cards and make hundreds to thousands of stubs each time you do. None of that costs extra money. Hell, you get a pack just for logging in every 10 days.

Look, I could see spending maybe like $5-20 or so to get a card or two you want quickly but hundreds of dollars? Come on.

Well it really depends what you value your time at really doesn't it? As if you don't enjoy making stubs on the market then spending maybe 10 hours worth of wages on stubs instead of spending 50 hours on the market is a pretty sensible use of your money. Or if you are cash rich but don't have much free time to waste on the market, then it again obviously makes more sense to use money.

Obviously if you enjoy the market or your time isn't limited or worth anything, then that's a different story, but it's pretty foolish to assume everyone's situation is the same as your own and make judgements about how they should or shouldn't use their time or money.