GAME refusing refund on faulty XBOX Series S and Fifa 22

QQuadrophenic

Hello all.  

New here and wondering if you can help without having earned the right for any.   

The Context

I recently purchased an Xbox Series S bundled with Fifa 22 (published by EA Sports) from the GAME retailer in-store. The advertisement I saw had the two items bundled together a deal which included both the console and the game as a digital download.

 

Once I had returned home and setup the device and tried to play a match is where the issue started. The quality of the game was beyond unacceptable. The resolution was blurry, the quality was so poor to the extent it was genuinely almost painful to watch/play. I'm on a 2K monitor so I thought maybe that was the issue. Tried again on another TV, same issue. Tried playing about with different resolutions and refresh rates, same issue. You would guess this was decades old quality Playstation 2 graphics - it might seem like an exaggeration but it is not. 

After a bit of digging it seems this is a known issue. On the Series S the Fifa game renders at 720p and upscales improperly which causes the visual issues.

(I have a link to various high profile news outlets documenting this issue - but I can't post it yet being a newbie)

I had no idea of this issue pre-purchase (something Game said they were aware of but later denied knowledge but this is moot). I have a fear nothing will be done about this issue also. I am familiar enough with EA the game manufacturer to know of their bad rep. There is a trello post acknowledging the graphical issue but nothing more - 4 weeks without an update, 3 weeks ago was the official launch. This issue is being suppressed on their forums (for no legitimate reason). All mention of the issue is met with a locked thread and banned user directing them to a post saying an update will be posted whenever there is an update. Zero clarity on a roadmap to the fix. 

(I have a link to large thread discussing EA's response to the issue - but can't post it, again being a newbie)

Simply put I'm not prepared to wait for them to fix this issue if they ever do!

All in all I bought an Xbox so that I could enjoy Fifa 22 and play some football and that appears not to be the case. Sadly I have no other desire to play anything else.

 

Refund Attempt

I tried to return the console earlier this week and was told there is nothing wrong with it, the fault lies with the FIFA game. I was arguing that what I purchased is unsatisfactory, it is unable to fulfil what it advertised to do. i.e. The Xbox is unable to play Fifa 22 to an adequate quality, it advertises 1440p (2K) quality gaming, as does Fifa - the end product contradicts the advertisement. GAME were insistent that the hardware is fine, they can't return it and the problem lies with EA. In the store they hooked up my Xbox and showed it played other games.

 

Since trying to return the bundle in-store unsuccessfully, GAME have been in contact to say they will accept back the Xbox and refund the value I purchased the bundle at minus the cost of the Fifa game as it is digital content. £250 minus £70. Obviously I had to activate the content as I had no idea it would be faulty but GAME are saying I have used it.

Dilemma/My Rights (if any)?? 

To me this is unsatisfactory as I believe I have a contract with GAME and GAME alone. How I would get a monetary refund from Microsoft or EA I do not know - I doubt they would even entertain the request and also, I do not believe that burden sits with me. I believe GAME should be refunding me for the cost of the bundle I purchased from them. They are the retailer. If I bought a new car and there was an issue with the tyres I wouldn't be told by the showroom to contact Goodyear (just an example).

 

Are they right that I have no course for a refund for the full bundle from them? Personally part refund is not the worst but that's £70 out of pocket. And it is more the principle that I feel they have been completely dismissive of the case, my issue and providing any level of "customer service". If they are right in their stance I'll swallow this but if not I'll see it through. 

Thoughts and advice greatly appreciated - and if you made it to the end, thank you! 

Ergates

Whilst there are known issues with the quality of the graphics with FIFA22 on the XBox S, to describe it as "genuinely almost painful to watch/play" and  "You would guess this was decades old quality Playstation 2 graphics" is massive hyperbole - they're not *that* bad and it undermines your complaint.  Just google FIFA12 on PS2 and tell me you *honestly* can't tell the difference.

Your contract is with GAME, and if the game or console or game were *faulty* then it is with them you'd have your claim.   However, their statement about the console is totally correct - there is nothing wrong with it (that you've mentioned).  With software it's a whole lot more complicated.   If you bought a physical copy and it was faulty (e.g. the disc wouldn't read), then again you could claim it was faulty - however that isn't the case here.    What your argument, essentially,  boils down to is:   The graphics aren't as good as you thought they were going to be.

Are they right that you have no right to a refund on the full bundle - yes.  But they've offered you a partial refund anyway - minus the bit they can't resell.  I'd say you have 3 options:  1) wait and see if EA release a patch.  2) take the refund and walk away.  3)  See if there is some kind of class action lawsuit against EA that you could join (or whatever the equivalent would be in this country).