I really hate that you have to do this. Drives me so crazy.
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Sony's refund policy for broken PSN titles is ludicrous and hilarious.
- Thread starter Dantis
- Start date
I really hate that you have to do this. Drives me so crazy.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Im noticing a heavy pattern in these threads that the fault really lies in the EU branch of Playstation. I cant remember the last time Ive heard anyone complain about this type of stuff with US PSN. Is Europe less regulated in terms of customer support when it comes to digital producst? I thought it was supposed to be more so, where you are legallly allowed to cancel the preorder, which us the rule the US law doesnt cover.
Hamster Plugin
Member
Making things worse, PSN has become a haven of shovelware, some that didn't even get through Steam Greenlight. Yes, products so bad it couldn't even get on Steam.
If you liked Farming Simulator (an actual good simulator game) and get tricked into buying a very similar looking Firefighters: The Simulation (broken shovelware Unity garbage), you're not getting that refund.
If you liked Farming Simulator (an actual good simulator game) and get tricked into buying a very similar looking Firefighters: The Simulation (broken shovelware Unity garbage), you're not getting that refund.
Actually, the problem is quite clearly that Sony does not have an explicitly stated, well-defined, consumer-friendly refund policy.
People know that I'm all in favor of opening up platforms to most anything, but I feel like easy refunds are a huge part of what makes that work. Because they almost entirely eliminate any risk in buying the occasional turd (other than losing a few minutes).
That sucks dude. This seems to be a recurring issue with the UK branch of Playstation.
I had bought Hellblade as well, and guess what? Got the exact same bug as you did.
Contacted Sony for a refund, and after saying this was a one time refund allowed (which is not true since I've refunded games eight times by now), they refunded me no problems.
Only gave me PSN credit, but eh. Used that to pre-order Lost Legacy.
This was the Canadian (US?) branch of Playstation.
I had bought Hellblade as well, and guess what? Got the exact same bug as you did.
Contacted Sony for a refund, and after saying this was a one time refund allowed (which is not true since I've refunded games eight times by now), they refunded me no problems.
Only gave me PSN credit, but eh. Used that to pre-order Lost Legacy.
This was the Canadian (US?) branch of Playstation.
family_guy
Member
I had something similar happen with a preorder that got pushed back. They actually will refund those, but it still can take getting the right person on the phone that has some common sense.
Me: I would like to get a refund for a preorder that got delayed.
Sony Rep: Well you'll need to contact the publisher.
Me: ...but Sony sent me the email to cancel. I did what I was supposed to do 3 weeks ago, and still haven't received the refund. What does the publisher have to do with this?
Sony Rep: ...hold on one second. **Comes back a few minutes later** Okay sir. I will process this refund for you, but it's going to be a one time thing.
Me: If it's going to be a one time thing then perhaps Sony should stop emailing people the option to cancel preorders.
I feel like Sony has a script for the CSRs to make the customer's experience as painful as possible so they just give up and hang up the phone. If you remain persistent, you'll get what you want most of the time. Sony's just counting on you not willing to do that.
Me: I would like to get a refund for a preorder that got delayed.
Sony Rep: Well you'll need to contact the publisher.
Me: ...but Sony sent me the email to cancel. I did what I was supposed to do 3 weeks ago, and still haven't received the refund. What does the publisher have to do with this?
Sony Rep: ...hold on one second. **Comes back a few minutes later** Okay sir. I will process this refund for you, but it's going to be a one time thing.
Me: If it's going to be a one time thing then perhaps Sony should stop emailing people the option to cancel preorders.
I feel like Sony has a script for the CSRs to make the customer's experience as painful as possible so they just give up and hang up the phone. If you remain persistent, you'll get what you want most of the time. Sony's just counting on you not willing to do that.
Neuromancer
Member
That's a bummer. I've gotten refunds from Sony twice when it was my own fault (a game I didnt mean to buy and a subscription I forgot to cancel that autorenewed.)
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Chicken is food. Food sometimes has salmonella.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Doubt that will work. If its serious enough this "campaign" will have already took place, and not give them a free pass. most people has already learnt to suck it up.
If you are really unhappy about it, buy multiplatform titles on another platforms then, like Steam or Xbox.
LukasTaves
Member
Companies are driven by profits, if people are still willing to buy online from them even when they have ludicrous policies what benefit would be for them to improve anything?
In other words, vote with your wallet.
In other words, vote with your wallet.
Peroroncino
Member
Ridiculous... Sony should get with the times already and implement an user friendly refund system.
Noisepurge
Member
That's why they are second place in the race while Sony laughs all the way to the bank!
This.
To everyone ITT saying,
"Sony has to change. Sony has to get with the times"
No they don't. Not as long as people keep saying, "I'm going digital only, bro! DIGITAL ONLY LIFE, BRO!"
Yeah, well there ya go. Enjoy those shitty return policies.
Peroroncino
Member
Steam is also driven by profits, probably even more so than Sony and yet... they have a good refun policy, why's that?
Actually, they do. Consumer protection laws are catching up with digital distribution. Many vendors have way better customer service than Sony. At some point Sony will have to have better staff training and transparent refund policies. Not a matter of if, but when. People will still increasingly buy digital goods because that is the direction society is moving towards, and everything will adjust to that.
Ted
Member
I couldn't agree more OP.
The abhorrent customer service of Playstation in the UK and the lack of any sort of meaningful refund policy is a big part of what has pushed me away from Playstation as a platform in the last year. It's not just these issues but they are certainly the straw that broke the proverbial camels back. I am now in the process of slowly acquiring parts to build a PC and I cannot wait to be back on a platform where customers actually have a little bit of a say.
Sure, I'll keep using my PS4 now and then because I already have it and i can't afford to just toss it out but I'm not spending money in the store anymore unless the item is dirt cheap and throwaway or something with an inherently limited lifespan by virtue of being always online.
The abhorrent customer service of Playstation in the UK and the lack of any sort of meaningful refund policy is a big part of what has pushed me away from Playstation as a platform in the last year. It's not just these issues but they are certainly the straw that broke the proverbial camels back. I am now in the process of slowly acquiring parts to build a PC and I cannot wait to be back on a platform where customers actually have a little bit of a say.
Sure, I'll keep using my PS4 now and then because I already have it and i can't afford to just toss it out but I'm not spending money in the store anymore unless the item is dirt cheap and throwaway or something with an inherently limited lifespan by virtue of being always online.
I meant specifically Sony. I've had great interactions with Microsoft, and even Nintendo for gods sake.
Equanimity
Member
Are you talking about Life of Black Tiger, you do know that's an exception right? While I don't have the statistics, I'm willing to assume that more than 90% of PSN's catalogue is not shovelware.
How do you get tricked into buying a game?
____
I am all for a universal well-defined refund policy.
Jawmuncher
Member
Sony in general needs to get on the train for at least offering one refund no questions asked every year. Steam and MS are there so imo there's no reason Sony shouldn't be there either.
The only times where they'll refund seems to be if it's an obvious mistake (like when I bought Darkstalkers despite it being in the PS+ area) and if you have a preorder (But even then that is hit or miss)
The only times where they'll refund seems to be if it's an obvious mistake (like when I bought Darkstalkers despite it being in the PS+ area) and if you have a preorder (But even then that is hit or miss)
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
I hope this changes but I feel like Sony has no incentive to.
(also hope this comment doesn't get me banned)
(also hope this comment doesn't get me banned)
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
This has nothing to do with being old.
Store credit is still better than nothing though
Let's be real.RoninChaos
Member
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
The day people can sell digital products and buy them used like they do with physical items then I will be more inclined to believe that consumers will not just end up being worse off in the end.
MS on Xbox and Windows, EA on PC, and Steam all offer refunds for their digital ecosystems.
Revolutionary
Member
Because they sell unfinished games now like Ark, We Happy Few, and soon PUBG.
Would have been nice to have it when they were releasing broken retail games like the Master Chief Collection. Called them twice for a refund and was denied.
Edit: Derp, I was unaware that Ark is also on PS4. Welp, there goes my argument. But I still want a refund for MCC dammit lol
Necron
Member
I agree. Until that day comes I will never trust going fully online only, especially not with the horrible conditions of PSN.
Head.spawn
Junior Member
Shame to hear about this with that game, have the dev's addressed this?
Also, thats a whole lotta hoops to jump through. The odds of a consumer getting much more than a pre-typed response for an issue like this from any developer/publisher seems to be pretty unrealistic.
Also, thats a whole lotta hoops to jump through. The odds of a consumer getting much more than a pre-typed response for an issue like this from any developer/publisher seems to be pretty unrealistic.
I'm really surprised Sony hasn't gotten a lawsuit over this garbage. They've been pulling this customer hostile shit for years in regards to their store. It's part of the reason I almost never buy anything directly through them, due to all the horror stories I've heard just on here alone.
OP is definitely entitled to a refund.
OP is definitely entitled to a refund.
March of the Crabs
Member
Pretty sure Sony has banned me from chat ever since asking for a refund. It's been about a year and the few times I've tried live chat, it won't let me connect.
EDIT: full disclosure after thinking back now, I did ask for other stuff in the chat (an issue with my PS4 Pro as well as a payment issue) and had poor luck with the same issues the day before, so I wouldn't necessarily say the ban was for a refund (maybe they were bothered by me asking the same things 2 days in a row to a new rep?), although they shouldn't be banning people from live chat at all, but that's another topic for another time.
Sounds like the user below DID get banned solely for simply asking for a refund though...
EDIT: full disclosure after thinking back now, I did ask for other stuff in the chat (an issue with my PS4 Pro as well as a payment issue) and had poor luck with the same issues the day before, so I wouldn't necessarily say the ban was for a refund (maybe they were bothered by me asking the same things 2 days in a row to a new rep?), although they shouldn't be banning people from live chat at all, but that's another topic for another time.
Sounds like the user below DID get banned solely for simply asking for a refund though...
Me too, it's one of the reasons why I'm still iffy about the digital future. Why in the world can I not get a refund on a preorder if I change my mind? And why is it that once I get that refund after an hour long argument, I'm now banned from chat support and have to use a different PSN ID to talk to these people. It's disgusting.
Rellik
Member
Hence why they asked for proof. No proof = they don't have to give you shit.
Obviously, that's terrible on Sony's end. But they're not breaking laws here.
Personally, I've had amazing interactions with customer support in the UK. They really went out their way to solve an issue that was 100% my fault.
Equanimity
Member
I offered to provide them with videos or screenshots and was told nothing less than Ninja Theory accepting culpability will do.
Can you give examples of your amazing interactions?
As an aside, is the live chat available in the UK? Might give it a go.
Holy crap they are actually banning people from chat support now for asking for refunds? Sony really needs to change their return policy to make it more like steam and more flexible. Banning from chat is just ridiculous...
autoduelist
Member
But they're right... you should never chargeback any company for any issue currently under review/discussion. That's not what chargeback is for, it's chargeback abuse. Chargebacks are for scammers and unresponsive vendors.
When you chargeback, the company, in addition to getting the money revoked, also gets a sizeable fine [depends, but ranges from around $5 to $35, dependent on the merchant's contract].... and repeated offenses can even cause further fines or have their ability to take cc's revoked by the cc company. Its a massive expense for many companies, between people using it willy nilly and straight up scammers.
This is why many companies have no interest in dealing with customers who abuse chargebacks.
In other words, the customer service gave you sound advice. You just didn't want to hear it.
I don't think they think banned him for asking for refunds, I mean he literally said "once I get that refund after an hour long argument"... we don't have access to that hour long argument, but given that there was one it's hard to know if he crossed a line or not.
Plenty of people have gotten refunds [including me] without argument or ban.
Lord of Ostia
Member
Did you miss the fact where they said they wouldn't give them a refund for an obvious problem on their storefront? They are responsible for the double charge, not that poster. So premptively saying "We won't give you a refund for our mistake, and we also will ban your account if you chargeback" is basically holding the customer hostage using their account as leverage. Chargebacks are a last resort, but that situation is exactly the type of situation chargeback are meant for, a company unwilling to rectify their mistake which cost you money.
Head.spawn
Junior Member
Wait, what? Have you tried making a new account with a trial to be sure?
Hamster Plugin
Member
PSN has huge amounts of trash now, just like Life of Black Tiger. Sony has even lower curation than Steam Greenlight now. Of course, Steam Direct is now here to let literally anything in including obvious copyright violation, so Steam is probably going to take the cake on garbage again.
On the store page, Firefighters looks like one of those dozen German simulators that do their job somewhat well. In reality, it's trash made with Unity store assets that had no effort put into it at all. The same shit that is all over Steam. It could trick some people. A refund policy is desperately needed to let people get their money back if they buy some of this garbage.
Actually it's for Sony to prove the product is as advertised. He's free to take them to county court if they refuse.
Are you suggesting I was rude to him? First of all, as long I wasn't cursing or personally attacking this agent I should not be banned from getting my issues solved, even if my tone was angry. Second of all, I work tech support for a telecommunications company. I am never rude to customer support agents because I know how it feels. I just refused to hear no for an answer. The conversation would have been much shorter than an hour if they would have just given me the refund that I asked for... Which apparently was possible because I was able to get it in the end. It's nice that you had a great experience but I take personal offense to you blaming me, especially when I was nothing but professional the entire time.