Complaint Review: Pogo.com EA Games

I have been a paying member since 2001. On April 18, 2007 I hit the JACKPOT WINNER on my spin! My win was doubled and maxed out at their cap, $4999.00

Two months after winning I emailed pogo asking where/when this win would arrive. Much to my disappointment, I was told I had cheated and would not receive any prize at all! WOW, what a blow, especially since I had never cheated. I immediately asked for documentation on when and where this cheat had occurred and instead was informed by pogo that they will not tell me, nor do they know how I cheated. They also informed me (when asked) that there is no one who audits these decisions (an unbiased 3rd party). To add to the insult, they also dont notify anyone when their win is pulled! I had to ask what was going on, that was the only reason I knew!



Im copying all the correspondence from pogo.com (run by EA Games now) so you can read for yourself exactly what they say about taking my $4999 away. Ive left it just as it was written, spelling errors and all! The last email in the chain is actually the first so please scroll down and read up.




Subject: Hi - I was just wondering where my jackpot badge/win went? I miss it!! Thanks....
Category: Game Features and Information
Rewards, Prizes and Badges
Submitted: 05/26/2007 07:30 PM
Last Updated: 06/19/2007 09:27 AM
Status: Updated by EA

Discussion Thread
Response (Pogo Maul) 06/19/2007 09:27 AM
Hello,

Thanks for cotnacting us.

You claim cheating was done on this account
- Yes

You refuse to state when and how this was done.
- Yes, we do not provide details such as when. And we do not know exaxtly how as there are a variety of methods for which we only monitor the activity.

You are the sole claimaint on this incident, with no outside/third party audit to back you up.
- We do not have a third party auditor outside of the company reviewing such information.

By using this unsubstantiated claim, you do not have to pay the $4999.00 prize that you advertised to everyone that I had won.
- Whether or not it is unbsubstantiate may be a matter of opinion.

I replied that no cheating ever happened and you ignore it and provide no possible recourse or appeal.
Either someone hacked into my account, or you are actually the cheat here - I don't know which.
You have forced me to file an FTC complaint / fraud charge. I am also forced to warn others of your dubious business practices.
- It has been our expierience that many people that we inform of such violations do find that someone else that they know that used their account did use an automated device or some other method of cheating that was the cause of the prize forfeiture. We do not know what individual may have initiated the method or cheating or what computer it may have occurred on. We only monitor the interaction with our game and servers with the account. When we recieve disputes we review the data used in the audit to ensure that the data used to determine the forfeiture was valid.

Customer 06/18/2007 05:24 PM
Let me sum up what you have said:
You claim cheating was done on this account.
You refuse to state when and how this was done.
You are the sole claimant on this incident, with no outside/third party audit to back you up.
By using this unsubstantiated claim, you do not have to pay the $4999.00 prize that you advertised to everyone that I had won.
I replied that no cheating ever happened and you ignore it and provide no possible recourse or appeal.
Either someone hacked into my account, or you are actually the cheat here - I don't know which.
You have forced me to file an FTC complaint / fraud charge. I am also forced to warn others of your dubious business practices.

Response (Pogo Maul) 06/18/2007 08:51 AM
Hello,

In many cases where the primary user is not aware of the use of such automated devices they had allowed others to use their account. Sometimes this is for someone to help them get a badge or tokens. In many of those cases the person sharing someone eles's account is the one that use the automated device with or without the knowledge of the primary user. Such an occurrence could have been at any time in any game unrelated to the game and time in which the prize was won. As far as the details of the date, time and what game, we are not able to provide that information due to the sensitivity of the information.

Customer 06/16/2007 12:54 PM
Hi - not sure my last comment made it thru but I would request the date/time/game this "automatic playing device" was used as I have NEVER used one and feel this is an extremely unfair decision. I would like the documentation to back this up. I'm not even aware of how to use an automated playing device and I know I don't have one installed on my macintosh. How do I have this false claim removed from my account?

Response (Mark) 06/12/2007 12:19 PM
Hello,

Thanks for contacting us. Unfortunately, this account has used an automatic playing device in the past, and thus the prize badge has been removed. In many of those cases the person sharing someone else's account is the one that used the automated device, with or without the knowledge of the primary user. Such an occurrence could have been at any time in any game and is unrelated to the game and time in which the prize was won.

In any scenario, we do hold the account owner responsible for the actions taken on an account. You are welcome to create a new account, and as long as that account does not ever use an automatic device, it should be eligible for prizes in the future. Please take care to always log out of Pogo when you are in a public place, and never, ever give anyone access to your account.

Sincerely,

Mark
Customer Support Representative III
Electronic Arts

Response (Pogo Ruby) 05/26/2007 09:55 PM
Hi there,

Thank you for contacting Club Pogo Support.

Due to the nature of your issue, more time is required for investigation. I apologize for any prolonged delays this might cause, but please rest assured that we are trying to handle your issue in a timely manner. During this time, you may still update your incident with additional information that might help us resolve your issue without causing any additional delay. To update your incident click the link above that says, To view or update your question from our support site, click here.

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you and look forward to getting you back in the game!

Pogo Ruby
Customer Service Representative
Club Pogo


Customer 05/26/2007 07:30 PM
Hi - I was just wondering where my jackpot badge/win went? Thanks.

Kathy
Bellevue, Nebraska
U.S.A.