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PS Plus Auto-Renew bulls*it
- Thread starter bosnianpie
- Start date
ipukespiders
Member
Vbrasa
Member
Sorry your feelies got hurt because I didn't agree that Sony is bad company. This thread isn't about your feelies though. Sorry you got burned by a common company practice.
Rayderism
Member
I still say that Sony and their "think of the children" is BS when PS+'s auto-renew is opt-out instead of opt-in. It should ask you at the very moment you buy the subscription if you would like auto-renew to be turned on or off, not just automatically turn it on and make you hunt down the option to turn it off. Yes, I know it's not that hard to find the option.....but, it can be for some people.....especially "the children" that tend not to read the small print and don't realise auto-renew is auto-on when you subscribe. Yes, I know that most (if not all) subscription services work this way, but most of those types of services are for adults. As consoles are still considered primarily a kid's toy, the subscription service should reflect that fact. But like I said, all that "think of the children" stuff is just baloney they use to push whatever agenda they are pushing.....censoring games, cross-platform MP, etc.
Shifty1897
Member
Sorry OP. I dropped PS plus over two years ago and I don't miss it at all.
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Petrae
Member
This is why you don’t link credit/debit cards or PayPal info to any subscription, unless they’re prepaid ones that can’t be charged on when empty. Don’t even give these greedy-ass companies the opportunity to fuck you like this.
I took my debit card info off of the PlayStation Store after the Great Sony Hack of 2011, and never looked back. It’s a plus since Sony jumped on the auto-renew bandwagon.
Auto-renew is preferred for pretty much any subscription because companies know that consumers are dumb and forget to opt out of it when the subscription period ends. By the time they realize it, it’s too late and their money is gone. Companies make shittons of cash because we as consumers are too fucking stupid/lazy to bother reading the fine print or to even uncheck a box.
I took my debit card info off of the PlayStation Store after the Great Sony Hack of 2011, and never looked back. It’s a plus since Sony jumped on the auto-renew bandwagon.
Auto-renew is preferred for pretty much any subscription because companies know that consumers are dumb and forget to opt out of it when the subscription period ends. By the time they realize it, it’s too late and their money is gone. Companies make shittons of cash because we as consumers are too fucking stupid/lazy to bother reading the fine print or to even uncheck a box.
bosnianpie
Member
I added the money to my PS Store wallet (not my "PS Plus wallet" ) through a PSN Card bought in store. Sony couldn't possibly have known what I was going to use those funds for.
The intention was to buy games or DLC not to renew a subscription I almost never use. Yet Sony took that decision for me. Does that sound like a good thing for you and me, the consumers? If not, why are (several of) you defending it? The fact that "everybody does it" is not a good answer.
I understand that this is common and that you have to watch out, shame on me. However, I see no reason why such business practice should be defended from a consumer point of view, our point of view. We are the ones getting screwed here.
Oh well. Industry provides us with the games we love so we better shut up, bend over and spread our cheeks. Don't criticize anything they do, just accept that things are a certain way. It's unbelieveable, defending them like you're getting a slice of the revenue.
GenericUser
Member
They make opting out of the auto renewal definitely harder then it should be. Instead of a "opt out" button right when it shows you, that the auto renewal is active, rhey make you fiddle around in the system settings for no reason other then to keep people from deactivating the auto renewal. This could defintely be done in a more user friendly way.
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grumpyGamer
Member
They are c-nts with that, everytime i renew my plus subscription i have to tick the box of, because its automatically on again.
That is just sleezy
That is just sleezy
The fake outrage about this is ridiculous. Show me a subscription service anywhere that does NOT auto renew, unless the feature is turned off.
We live in a capitalist system and this is not bad business practice, it's sound business practice. Don't let subscriptions lapse unless someone opts for them to lapse - helps keep the money rolling in - it's the standard best practice for any subscription service. It's not like they FORCE you to do this, either, they actually offer alternatives - pre-paid codes etc.
Next people will be 'appalled' to learn that cheaper subscriptions are available if you purchase elsewhere. How unfair. And how dare one shop sell something more cheaply than another.
We live in a capitalist system and this is not bad business practice, it's sound business practice. Don't let subscriptions lapse unless someone opts for them to lapse - helps keep the money rolling in - it's the standard best practice for any subscription service. It's not like they FORCE you to do this, either, they actually offer alternatives - pre-paid codes etc.
Next people will be 'appalled' to learn that cheaper subscriptions are available if you purchase elsewhere. How unfair. And how dare one shop sell something more cheaply than another.
zenspider
Member
I don't think it's an issue with the practice, it's how difficult they can make it to opt-out, especially compared to opting in.
Amazon Prime is an easy example. You can subscribe to a channel with one button push, usually a free-trial with a tagged auto-renew. They don't tell you explicitly when the auto-renew kicks in, and you can't unsubscribe from any device or the Amazon app - you have to log on to a computer and dig through menus.
I don't think we should excuse this kind of behavior gaming as 'capitalism'. Capitalism is not a mandate to extract value by any means necessary.
That said, NSO is pretty transparent. On the eShop under the Nintendo Online tab, there is a giant banner at the top that explicitly says : Deadline to turn off automatic renewal DD/MM/YYYY 00:00
Under Account Information > Nintendo Switch Online the first piece of info is the deadline, and the only option is to turn it off.
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Freeman454
Member
The problem lies more in the fact that your paying to be able to play online, on top of your internet connection you allready pay for.
Javthusiast
Banned
Almsot forgot once it was automatically on autorenew, but canceled in time, since then I immediately deactivate renew as soon as I purchase ps plus.
They definitely should say on the purchase screen, hey this shit will autorenew, do you want to keep it turned on? But they get more money by people not noticing it.
They definitely should say on the purchase screen, hey this shit will autorenew, do you want to keep it turned on? But they get more money by people not noticing it.
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Trogdor1123
Member
It's super easy to turn it off, it says it will auto renew when you sign up as well.
I don't really see the issue.
I don't really see the issue.
peronmls
Member
I’m pretty sure it checks it again when you resubscribe. When I renewed again I could have sworn I turned it off before hand.
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Bumblebeetuna
Member
Wow they even do it for money in your PSN wallet now? It used to be that keeping a CC off of your account was good enough to avoid it.
I know a lot of people will say “well every company does it!” but Sony takes it to new levels. I was charged multiple times on PS3 for a music service that I didn’t even have installed in order to be able to sign up. PS+ renewing even though I had it disabled. Among other things. Each time they make it seem as if they’re doing you a favor and going out of their way to offer you a “refund”, which isn’t even really a refund because it just goes back into your wallet, meaning it’s eventually their money again anyway.
Microsoft is equally scummy about these tactics, as are other companies. But they have an incredibly lenient refund policy that benefits customers and other companies in other avenues of entertainment or services will at least actually give you a real refund if something went wrong.
Do they still do the thing where if you have a CC on your account and use a prepaid card to get PS+, it will enable auto renew on your bank card? They fooled a lot of people with that one. I haven’t subbed in months, waiting on some PS+ games to make it worth it. Or a cheap enough year long membership sale I guess. I do miss Rogue Legacy.
I know a lot of people will say “well every company does it!” but Sony takes it to new levels. I was charged multiple times on PS3 for a music service that I didn’t even have installed in order to be able to sign up. PS+ renewing even though I had it disabled. Among other things. Each time they make it seem as if they’re doing you a favor and going out of their way to offer you a “refund”, which isn’t even really a refund because it just goes back into your wallet, meaning it’s eventually their money again anyway.
Microsoft is equally scummy about these tactics, as are other companies. But they have an incredibly lenient refund policy that benefits customers and other companies in other avenues of entertainment or services will at least actually give you a real refund if something went wrong.
Do they still do the thing where if you have a CC on your account and use a prepaid card to get PS+, it will enable auto renew on your bank card? They fooled a lot of people with that one. I haven’t subbed in months, waiting on some PS+ games to make it worth it. Or a cheap enough year long membership sale I guess. I do miss Rogue Legacy.
MrHeisenbird
Member
Another day, another kid whining about Sony.
You're not forced to auto-renew. Just turn it off if you don't want it.
You're not forced to auto-renew. Just turn it off if you don't want it.
Supreme Allah
Banned
You should try them at least.
Have played several PS+ games I never would have bought, but that I ended up really enjoying. Having a blast with Steep at the moment.
xrnzaaas
Member
Yes, auto-renew turns itself on every single time you pay for PS+ with a credit card or redeem a PS+ code.
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bosnianpie
Member
Your contribution to this discussion is zero. I'm playing on a PS since 1997, love the brand and really like what Sony is doing in general.
Why do people get so damn defensive when I point out one negative thing? Almost like they have a financial stake in the business themselves. Holy crap.
Yeah probably but I'm a notoriously slow player, I just recently finished RDR2. Hate the idea of playing by a "time limit" and not really owning the games. I'm a bit old school when it comes to that.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Exactly why I said what I said. This is nothing new, and happens to all subscription services.
zenspider
Member
What are the steps?
AlexxKidd
Member
You should thank Sony, they taught you a valuable lesson that you apparently have never learned in your life before. Read.
bosnianpie
Member
Nope. I'm well aware of this happening on other services. Just didn't expect the greed of going into my Store wallet and taking funds from there to auto-subscribe me to Plus. Read.
peronmls
Member
But I subscribed for 6 months. If the company is adding on to that then it is not a 6 month subscription. I bought a 6 month. Not a 7 month. Not a 12 month. I never owned any kind of paid subscription service besides this to play Bloodborne. It's dirty shit.
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DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Write to your congressman, I do not know what you want me to say. I agree, it is sleezy, but know it is there because it happens to them all (from Hulu, to Netlfix, to everything else), so be a little proactive and take the mere seconds to disable it. Maybe the UK investigation will force them to enact another change (but they should not stop at the game companies if so, since it happens to ALL STREAMING SUBSCRIPTION services), like the AUS government essentially forced the great Steam policies we have today.
synchronicity
Member
AlexxKidd
Member
Why are you telling me about what's happening on other services? I didn't mention anything about other services. Now I know you didn't read what you signed up for because you clearly didn't read my post either. The point is you would have expected the auto-renewal, had you read the prompt that appears anytime anyone signs up.
Again, thank Sony for teaching you a valuable lesson. An all important lesson. A lesson my friend, that you can take henceforth and carry with you for the rest of your days. A lesson you can tell your grandchildren about. When you sit down in your old age, with your grandchildren on your knee - perhaps at Christmas time even, a celebratory season - you can tell them about the time you lost lost money due to your lack of reading paperwork and prompts. "Little Johnny, Becky Sue, your granddad was screwed out of a good chunk of change in his youth by Sony, makers of PlayStation 14. I put in my credit card information and I didn't read what I was getting into. Do not be like your granddad. When you go to spend your money, Becky Sue, please make sure of what you're purchasing. Please read, don't assume companies are not looking to make money. Do not be foolish as I was in my young days. Please - and I hope you're listening too Little Johnny - please read."
It actually brings a tear to my eye.
bosnianpie
Member
Believe whatever you want, until they f-ck you over aswell. Perhaps then you will stop running corporate errands.
Trogdor1123
Member
That I didn't know, I always assumed if you turned it off once it stayed off. That is really dodgey as you would have assumed that you didn't have to opt out each time.
grumpyGamer
Member
Well how else are they going to get the free monies?!?
, true silly me for thinking otherwise, i am just amazed how they are not bashed by consumers alot moreFreeman454
Member
It should not automacticly change to 'True' everytime one renews themselfs, maybe it should also be deactivated per default, and easier to manage. Many more users will pay this way, guess thats what sony wants though.
odhin
Member
PS Plus Sucks, playing online should not be tied to a subscription service. There, I've said it.
I actually defended PS Plus when it was announced, you know, as a normal "pay for more benefits" in the service kinda of way subscription like it was and should've kept that way.
But then again, I kinda don't fault Sony for doing what they did with it when the PS4 was released, I mean, easy f*cking money. MS did that shit for an entire console generation with great success and low pushback (or so it seemed) so it was to be expected.
Doesn't make me hate that practise any less tho.
Sorry for 'hijacking' your thread, just needed to vent aswell.
I actually defended PS Plus when it was announced, you know, as a normal "pay for more benefits" in the service kinda of way subscription like it was and should've kept that way.
But then again, I kinda don't fault Sony for doing what they did with it when the PS4 was released, I mean, easy f*cking money. MS did that shit for an entire console generation with great success and low pushback (or so it seemed) so it was to be expected.
Doesn't make me hate that practise any less tho.
Sorry for 'hijacking' your thread, just needed to vent aswell.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
trikster40
Member
Yeah, I get a few emails 2-3 weeks before my subscription renews. It tells me that my subscription expires on XX date and is set to auto-renew. If I do not wish to renew my subscription, it tells me how to cancel it.
You get plenty of warnings, but you’ve got to pay attention to them.
Snake29
RSI Employee of the Year
Every subscription based service has "auto-renewal option enabled". Netflix, Flickr, Apple (iCloud, Apple Store), Xbox Live, Google Store, and i can go on forever. If you already have a problem with this, never ever subscribe for a service again in the future. And let me tell you, the future is subscription based!
Indeed and you also get those messages with Plus.
Indeed and you also get those messages with Plus.
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odhin
Member
odhin
And now Nintendo does it too. We will never have free MP again on consoles, the money they get from it is just too great.
Indeed, there is no turning back now.
Some (alot of) people actually complained about it at the time PS4 was released, but eventually caved in and subscribed anyway so Sony couldn't give less of a shite. Me included of course. And honestly, I'm just not paying for it now cuz I don't play MP games nowadays. If I played MP games like I did at one point on the ps3 generation I would have PS plus no doubt, despite my opinion.
Terce
Member
I've found that simply going on Google and searching for "Unsubscribe <service>" produces a direct link most of the time. If you are subscribing for something and haven't done the research it's quite frankly your own fault. What you see as exploitation, someone else can easily argue it's offering greater convenience to the consumer and it's a much smaller (albeit more vocal) group that find themselves in this position.
Dr.Morris79
Member
I had it auto renew a couple of times when i've told it not too, yes. It's a real pisser when it happens too as I end up going through bank statements trying to work out what the payment was for..
It's shit.
HotPocket69
Banned
They send reminders to you on the PS4 home screen when your subscription is about to end and let you know if auto renew is set to on or off.
That's on you dog
That's on you dog
zenspider
Member
So you don't know the steps on the actual device you subcribe on?
I'm sure it's not terribly complicated, but if it's not obvious and as easy, I don't see how easily you can argue how they're "offering greater convenience" if it's clearly a pain in the ass.
Terce
Member
Sorry I should have specified that when I google those instructions it;s merely to prove a point to someone too lazy to do it themselves. I consider myself responsible enough to not sign up for random crap without knowing what I'm getting myself into.
And I'm not arguing that point, just pointing out that it's extremely easy for a company to do so and given that this practice is the industry standard at this point, everyone better get used to it and smarten up. You may consider it a pain in the ass, but the majority of people aren't that vocal or involved and are happy to just let their subscriptions continue.
zenspider
Member
Is it harder to opt-out than opt-in? That's all this is in a nutshell. It should be just as convenient if you're arguing that "auto-renew" is some kind of favor to consumers.
KOMANI
KOMANI
I had mine off yet lo and behold I got charged. I contacted Sony, thinking they were going to give me a hard time. Not only was my experience pleasant, the agent gave me a free year of plus. I was verrrrry lucky.
ConnorDuffy1977
Banned
Children are entering their credit card or paypal information and getting taken on this? Huh?