I would think just the fact that CDKeys and others are aiding and abetting credit card theft would be enough to keep people away.
I've been alerted a few times of unauthorized use of my card but luckily have a bank that stays on top of it and knows my spending habits. Although i did have to phone them once to let me buy a sofa.
"Every child matters. If we fail our children, we are bound to fail our present, our future, faith, cultures, and civilizations as well."
I'd rather be safe than sorry and by from Origin or an authorized dealer. I won't risk my entire account for just a few dollars. I have games yet to play.
If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. Live in your Truth.
Anytime you buy anything from an unauthorized seller you run the risk of getting burned. So far it would seem that CDkeys has the least amount of complaints but I still wouldn't trust them. It would really suck to shell out my hard earned money for a pack just to have the pack revoked and that money wasted. If you wait for sales, it's not that much cheaper to buy from them anyways so you might as well just buy it from a legit retailer and even if it a few bucks more, peace of mind is worth that IMO.
I think we need to get a response from an EA staff member. Just because the website 'The Sims Community' is bandying it about that you shouldn't buy from there doesn't make it fact. And there are a lot of retailers who are not on the 'trusted' list from EA, but that doesn't mean you can't use them.
Researching them online I found this:
CDkeys.com is registered as a place of business in the United Arab Emirates. As such, they belong to the jurisdiction of the United Arab Emirates and their legal legitimacy has to be viewed from an international perspective.
CDkeys essentially purchases tens of thousands of games in third-world countries, scans the keys and then sells the scanned versions in first-world countries. In doing this, they pay local taxes for all their game purchases, whichever country it may be. However, if they never import the physical copies of these games to the U.S, then the question arises whether they are paying import taxes to the United States. They may be importing just photos of scanned keys, but as a single scanned key can be worth $60 or more, it’s difficult to say whether these photos should be subject to import taxes or not.
All in all, CDkeys is more legally legitimate than almost every other third-party key reseller. They don’t trade stolen keys, they don’t buy out celebrities, and they state their business practices clearly on their website.
I think we need to get a response from an EA staff member. Just because the website 'The Sims Community' is bandying it about that you shouldn't buy from there doesn't make it fact. And there are a lot of retailers who are not on the 'trusted' list from EA, but that doesn't mean you can't use them.
Researching them online I found this:
CDkeys.com is registered as a place of business in the United Arab Emirates. As such, they belong to the jurisdiction of the United Arab Emirates and their legal legitimacy has to be viewed from an international perspective.
CDkeys essentially purchases tens of thousands of games in third-world countries, scans the keys and then sells the scanned versions in first-world countries. In doing this, they pay local taxes for all their game purchases, whichever country it may be. However, if they never import the physical copies of these games to the U.S, then the question arises whether they are paying import taxes to the United States. They may be importing just photos of scanned keys, but as a single scanned key can be worth $60 or more, it’s difficult to say whether these photos should be subject to import taxes or not.
All in all, CDkeys is more legally legitimate than almost every other third-party key reseller. They don’t trade stolen keys, they don’t buy out celebrities, and they state their business practices clearly on their website.
I also went to their site and noted they have been in business for over 20 years. They must be doing something right.
Did some more reading and there are instructions on how to redeem your code on Origin, very detailed instructions. I'm starting to think that these codes are legit and if EA had an issue with them they would have put a stop to this a long time ago.
There has to be a way to contact EA to get an answer to this.
Does cd keys have people who have stolen credit or debit cards and that’s why they can sell it so cheap? Or am I confusing it with less reputable sites?
Does cd keys have people who have stolen credit or debit cards and that’s why they can sell it so cheap? Or am I confusing it with less reputable sites?
I think you must be confusing them. They have about 55K reviews on Trustpilot. They have a good reputation. I've purchased from them myself for the last 4 years, no probs.
@catmando830@Rouensims you are most welcome, I wanted to put my own mind at rest since there were so many comments around lately contradicting what I thought I knew.
@elanorbreton omg thank you so much!!! This question has literally been going around in circles for years with no real answer 😂😂 even the agent seemed to be evading the question at first lol.
Hey there lovely people!
Apologies that it took me some time to jump in here. I can see that a response from EA Help was shared in this thread already. Just to reiterate that point:
If you are considering to buy codes from retailers other than EA (Origin), I would recommend you take a look at this EA Help article that has a lot of useful info on this topic - this is the article that the agent in the screenshot linked.
As was said in the chat, it is absolutely up to you where you buy your codes. But we do ask you to be cautious so you can avoid unpleasant surprises which is pointed out on the website:
What about other PC digital retailers?
Purchasing EA PC digital games from unauthorized sellers holds a variety of risks. The following information can help you protect your account and yourself.
Our games are sold at various online and in-store retailers across the world, but sometimes these retailers are not all they may seem to be.
Some unauthorized retailers bring risks with each purchase you attempt to make, and they can put your account and personal information in danger. Make sure to protect yourself:
At best, you might get the wrong product or language version of a game you buy.
At worst, unauthorized websites may be phishing for your EA Account or payment information. This can result in losing access to your account or fraudulent activity with your payment details.
Additionally, any illegally obtained games and Product Codes will be disabled by us, and access to the product will be lost.
[...] We want you to have the best experience, but we cannot help out with purchases made through an unauthorized digital retailer.
If you purchase EA digital products from an unauthorized party and the CD key or Product Code is disabled, you will not be able to play your game and we will be unable to assist you.
I hope this helps and confirms what you've found out by now.
Well, I will be printing this out to save just in case. Maybe now I can replace all that I lost from TS3.
Thanks Elanor for contacting them.
If you've lost most of your packs, I'd recommend trying Steam. TS3 packs frequently go on sale there for $5, and the keys can be used in Origin as well (at least they could when I bought them.)
Well, I will be printing this out to save just in case. Maybe now I can replace all that I lost from TS3.
Thanks Elanor for contacting them.
If you've lost most of your packs, I'd recommend trying Steam. TS3 packs frequently go on sale there for $5, and the keys can be used in Origin as well (at least they could when I bought them.)
Thanks - I'll check them out also - I have an account with them for another game I used to play.
I'm wondering where the rumor about getting banned even comes from. It's been talked about for years and I haven't seen a single person who's been banned for using these sites, yet I've seen hundreds who use them regularly without a single issue.
Good to know. Also interesting to watch the price. I have notice that the price has jumped up and down all week.
Currently sitting at 38.79 CND but was lower earlier. I wonder if that is based on exchange rates as our dollar dropped at bit
Comments
I've been alerted a few times of unauthorized use of my card but luckily have a bank that stays on top of it and knows my spending habits. Although i did have to phone them once to let me buy a sofa.
Which guru and do you have screen shots of them saying it?
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I have no idea which guru. I saw someone mention it on Twitter. They didn't provide any screenshots or name which guru.
Well hopefully EA_Leeloo will come in here and answer this once and for all for us.
TINY HOUSE CHALLENGE
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Buying from CDKeys could be problematic. If the code you buy is pirated, you'll lose the content you purchased, and may face other sanctions.
If you don't want to take that chance, buy from Steam or Origin. If you do take that chance, that is the chance you take.
Researching them online I found this:
I also went to their site and noted they have been in business for over 20 years. They must be doing something right.
Did some more reading and there are instructions on how to redeem your code on Origin, very detailed instructions. I'm starting to think that these codes are legit and if EA had an issue with them they would have put a stop to this a long time ago.
There has to be a way to contact EA to get an answer to this.
TINY HOUSE CHALLENGE
The May Family
Modeling Career?
Well, I will be printing this out to save just in case. Maybe now I can replace all that I lost from TS3.
Thanks Elanor for contacting them.
TINY HOUSE CHALLENGE
The May Family
Modeling Career?
I think you must be confusing them. They have about 55K reviews on Trustpilot. They have a good reputation. I've purchased from them myself for the last 4 years, no probs.
@catmando830 @Rouensims you are most welcome, I wanted to put my own mind at rest since there were so many comments around lately contradicting what I thought I knew.
Doing the Happy Dance !!!
TINY HOUSE CHALLENGE
The May Family
Modeling Career?
Apologies that it took me some time to jump in here. I can see that a response from EA Help was shared in this thread already. Just to reiterate that point:
If you are considering to buy codes from retailers other than EA (Origin), I would recommend you take a look at this EA Help article that has a lot of useful info on this topic - this is the article that the agent in the screenshot linked.
As was said in the chat, it is absolutely up to you where you buy your codes. But we do ask you to be cautious so you can avoid unpleasant surprises which is pointed out on the website:
I hope this helps and confirms what you've found out by now.
If you've lost most of your packs, I'd recommend trying Steam. TS3 packs frequently go on sale there for $5, and the keys can be used in Origin as well (at least they could when I bought them.)
Thanks - I'll check them out also - I have an account with them for another game I used to play.
TINY HOUSE CHALLENGE
The May Family
Modeling Career?
Currently sitting at 38.79 CND but was lower earlier. I wonder if that is based on exchange rates as our dollar dropped at bit