Food Pyramids

I am certain you are familiar with this old USDA food pyramid. No surprises here. I know the USDA has newer, vertically oriented pyramid, but this one is easier to compare.

But you may be a bit startled by the structure of this Thai food pyramid. Forgive the bad photo; it was snapped from a box of delicious Thai hot rice bran cereal with apple and cinnamon. I wish the supermarket carried it regularly. Another one time good deal, I guess. I really liked it, too!

 

That’s right, meat monthly or in very small amounts, eggs and poultry weekly or in very small amounts, fish and dairy optional daily. Note where fats are located in this pyramid, too. We are not in Kansas, Dorothy.

Proof EA Sucks

I submit the following customer support request and the entire ensuing exchange.

 

ME:  I am an American expat living permanently in Thailand. All I want to do is buy some of the digital download versions of the Sims 2 expansion and stuff packs to complete my set. However, your automated ordering system rejects my order as I am not a US/Cananda resident. This is even though I am using a debit card from an American bank. 

Legitimate English copies of these games are impossible to find here. Pirate Thai and English copies are widely available and cheap. Legitimate Thai language copies are a bit scarce but can sometimes be found-but I don’t read Thai.

If I were to buy the physical version, assuming you would ship it here, which is itself unlikely, I would not receive it. The mail service here reliably fails to deliver packages from overseas.

So, the final question is this: Will you process my orders manually so I can have legal copies of these games, or do I spend $5 each on the pirate versions? I know that the problem is merely one of international addresses not playing nicely with the software used to process the orders. I know it can be overridden, as it has been done for me before by a different company.

EA:  Hi,
Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts.

We apologize as due to trade restrictions, we at EA Store do not possess the ability to ship orders outside of North America, Canada and Mexico. 

However if you are using a valid card you should be able to purchase the digital version provided you enter the correct billing information.

If there is anything else we can help you with please let us know.

Thank you,

Temjen
EA Online Store.

 

ME:  The correct billing information is an address in Thailand, which your ordering system rejects. I tried. It quite correctly assumes I am indeed not a US resident. As I stated before, all I want is the digital download versions.

 

EA:  Hi,
Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts.

If your country is not listed there then it means that the game is currently not released in your country, you will not be able to purchase the game through EA Download Manager. I apologize for any disappointment this may cause.

If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know.

Thank you,

Deval
EA Online Support

 

ME:  Thailand IS one of the countries listed for the International version of your website; the game has been released here. go back and read my original email. Unfortunately, I am wholly unable to read Thai to order from that portion of your website. I also suspect that portion of your website would be less than thrilled with an order using a US debit card and a Thai address.

 

EA:  Hi,
Thank you for writing to EA.com account services.

In order to purchase the game from a US website, please visit http://www.ea.com/language and select country as USA/Canada and then click on the “Shop” link at the top of the page. You should now be able to purchase the game using a debit/credit card having the billing address from USA/Canada. If you are still unable to purchase the game through EA Store digitally then we suggest you to look for a local retailer near you to get the physical version of the game.

Please let us know if there is anything else needed.

Thank you.

Chandan
EA Online Support.
 
ME:  We are back to square 1; I DO NOT HAVE a billing address in the USA or Canada. I live in Thailand, where the game IS released, but I cannot read your Thai website to order it, nor do i want the game in Thai. My debit card is from an American bank. I want to buy an English language digital
download of the game. The only English language copies of the game I have ever seen are pirate. I would prefer not to go that route.

Can you escalate this to somebody who is paid enough to actually read what I have already written before responding?

 

I believe my case is well proven.