Electronic Arts

It’s hard to believe that any company could beat out one of the big bad corporate banks for “Worst Company in America,” but Electronic Arts has managed to do so two years in a row—the first company to ever receive two “Golden Poo” awards. Results of the eighth annual Consumerist’s poll naming the most hated firm in the US were released April 8, and EA crushed runner-up Bank of America with 78 percent of the vote in the final death match. According to the Consumerist, EA has earned its bad reputation with customers by failing to provide quality products, failing to sell products at reasonable prices and failing to provide adequate customer support.

Many were surprised when EA took away its first Golden Poo award last year, but the second poo was pretty predictable. Gamers have grown increasingly fed up with EA’s requirements they connect to the Web even to play single-player games, the constant barrage of in-game purchases offered or even required and the fiasco that became the launch of SimCity5. It all adds up to EA treating customers “like human piggy banks,” noted the Consumerist, while releasing incomplete games with the intent of getting customers to “pay extra for what they should have received in the first place.”

Adding insult to customers’ injuries, EA released a half-assed admission of fault before the final vote, acknowledging that while it “can do better,” there are certainly worse companies out there. EA COO Peter Moore also tried to shrug off customer’s concerns by implying they’re a bunch of homophobes (way to earn brownie points there, bud) and were upset by the company’s decision to include LGBT characters in some of its games. He also blamed the second Golden Poo on supposed “mailing lists that direct people to vote for EA because they disagree with the choice of the cover athlete on Madden NFL.” But the Consumerist was unaware of any such lists.

If Moore’s blog post is any example of how EA responds to customers’ issues, it may be well on its way to a third Golden Poo in 2014.

Samantha Lile

Samantha Lile is a 2002 Missouri State University graduate of journalism and mass media. She has served as a reporter and editor for various newspapers throughout her journalism career. She made the leap into writing full-time after working for a major financial institution since 2000.

Because of her banking background, Samantha is knowledgeable in finance reporting, but is also strong in commentaries, personal profiles, youth studies, horticulture, history and entertainment-related works.

Samantha lives in Ozark, Mo. with her husband of nine years, four dogs and two cats.

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