• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

My PS4 is somehow no longer my primary system. Help!

StewboaT_

Member
Hi guys, sorry if this has been discussed at length before but I couldn't seem to find any solid answers.

Basically, my PS4 at home has always been my primary console, and I've never once in my life deactivated it. I understand that you can deactivate your systems once every six months online but mine states that it's been done recently and it won't allow me to do so. I've tried the ticket system through Sony to deactivate but they declined for the same reason. Now, is this some sort of a bug? or has my account been compromised? I've changed my password in the meantime but I really don't feel like I should have to wait 6 months just to get my system to function properly again.

I had a live chat session with a Sony customer service rep and this is how it went:


Ariadna: Hello, My name is Ariadna how may I assist you today?
Me: hi there
Ariadna: Hi nice to meet you!
Me: so long story short, my ps4 has always been my primary system, but as of late it's not and I'm unable to deactivate it online. I've tried the ticket system through sony but they declined. Now, It says you can do it once every 6 months and that I've already used that up, but I've never done it ever. So the question I have is this, is this a known bug on ur end, or is there a chance that my account has been hacked?
Me: I've changed my password in the mean time just in case
Me: but I would definitely like to get my sytem back to primary without waiting 6 months.... it's really annoying not being able to download things remotely anymore
Ariadna: I'm sorry to hear you are having an inconvenience with your account , I understand how this can make you feel.
Ariadna: I'd be happy to look into this for you today.
Ariadna: Just to confirm, I need you to please provide me with your:
Online ID, Sign In ID email, Phone number
Me:
Me:
Ariadna: Ok thank you!
Ariadna: Let me help you with this process unfortunately we cannot deactivate the account for you but you can follow this link for step-by-step instructions on how you can deactivate game content yourself using the following instructional link:

https://support.us.playstation.com/articles/en_US/KC_Article/Deactivate-Consoles-Via-PC-Website

If you have used that option already you can submit a request for a Specialist to deactivate your console.
You will be notified within 1 business day with a response.

Here is the link to the online request form:

http://us.playstation
Me: yah so i've already done that
Me: and they declined it because it's been done in the last 6 months
Me: but it wasn't me who did it
Ariadna: I'm sorry that we didn't met your expectations but we have procedures to follow. Hope you understand.
Ariadna: You will have to wait 6 months.
Me: No, I absolutely do not accept that. I shelled out good money for this system and I expect it to work properly.
Me: Procedures can always be bent on a case to case basis
Me: and this one warrants it
Ariadna: I understand your frustration. I wish there was something we could do but our hands a tied on this scenario.
Ariadna: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Me: Yah, we're not done here.
Me: I'd like to activate my ps4 as primary please
Me: I'm not waiting 6 months to do so
Ariadna: I'm sorry until this point you will have to wait this time.
Ariadna: If there isn’t anything else that I can do for you, I will disconnect this chat session.
Me: Can you give me the contact info of somehow who can actually help me then please
Me: i'm telling you that there is a chance that someone hacked my account, and you're basically telling me to fuck off
Me: not cool at all
Ariadna: the only thing is made the request adn you already tell me that you did it.
Ariadna: I'm sorry for this.
Me: nope, that's not the only way
Me: and you know it
Ariadna: I'm sorry but i cannot help you with this.
Me: Then find me someone who can
Me: i'll wait
Ariadna: If there isn’t anything else that I can do for you, I will disconnect this chat session. Thanks for contacting PlayStation Chat Support.
The agent has ended the chat.


So that went terribly, and I kind of lost my temper but I felt like if I made a big enough deal out of it they might bend and help me out. Clearly that didn't pan out.

Anyways, has anyone gone through the same ordeal that could shed some light on how they dealt with it, or is waiting the 6 months truly the only way to get this done?

Thanks!
 
Sony are kinda shitty about this, but you should really use TFA and a unique password. As a gaffer, there is no excuse. You know that PSN accounts are a frequent target for fraudsters.
 
Sony are kinda shitty about this, but you should really use TFA and a unique password. As a gaffer, there is no excuse. You know that PSN accounts are a frequent target for fraudsters.

I'm not really making excuses, just looking for some help on the matter now that it has happened.
 
Help what? No one cares if you play games somewhere else. As long as you are having fun, why does it matter?

EDIT: NVM
 
Help what? No one cares if you play games somewhere else. As long as you are having fun, why does it matter?
I'll be honest, this is exactly what I initially thought when I read the title. I'm like why is someone making a topic like this, then realized it was account based stuff.
 
Yah I thought this might be the case. So even when your account is hacked Sony will do nothing about it? Seems kind of fucked up to me.
Your account wasn't hacked.

Someone obtained your password through some unknown means, probably the hacking of another site where you use the same password, through social engineering, or spyware.

To prevent this happening again, use a unique password and TFA. Right now, keep pestering Sony. While you do that though, please do realise that they have to somehow prevent scammers from doing the exact same thing you are trying to do, which is why they're being so strict.
 
Enable two-factor so this doesn't happen again in the future.
Wait 6 months.
Deactivate the systems online and then you can use it properly again, including remote downloads.

For now you have to play with the game account that has the games associated with it.
 
IIRC you need to send it in and they can remove the account that is activated. Or you wait 6 months.

Edit: Don't ignore this post. Try to ask them if you can send it in so they can remove it. I couldn't do it because my PS4 was from Europe and my account from US, but if you bought it in the same region as your accout, you should be able to do it.
 
This happened to me a few months ago.
I was just sitting there and out of nowhere a message pops up that my PS4 was activated as primary somewhere else.

I immediately changed my password and got on the phone with Sony.
Changed the email address I use to login and changed the password again.

The Sony people deactivated all my devices at once. PS3, PS4 and Vita.

Scary 30 minutes...still don't feel secure.
 
If you still have access to your account go to the Sony Entertainment Network website and change the password immediately and activate TFA. Then deactivate all your Playstation systems.
 
This happened to me a few months ago.
I was just sitting there and out of nowhere a message pops up that my PS4 was activated as primary somewhere else.

I immediately changed my password and got on the phone with Sony.
Changed the email address I use to login and changed the password again.

The Sony people deactivated all my devices at once. PS3, PS4 and Vita.

Scary 30 minutes...still don't feel secure.

Ah, so you called and they were able to deactivate it for you? Nice, I'll definitely give this a shot then.
 
If you still have access to your account go to the Sony Entertainment Network website and change the password immediately and activate TFA. Then deactivate all your Playstation systems.

You can only deactivate once every 6 months as stated by the Sony rep in the OP. Someone has done that already so he can't do it for another 6 months.

He definitely should have 2FA actived through. It's there for a reason.
 
So when something like this happens, there's nothing they can do?

What kind of BS is that.

Dont care if he didnt have TFA and used a same password.

Point is, the account was compromised and they should have methods to fix this without having to wait 6 whole months.

That's just a shitty way to manage accounts on sony's end. There should always be a way to override on the administer end (sony).
 
That can only be done every 6 months. The person that got hold of the password for the account already did this, so now there is a 6 month waiting period.
Actually, IIRC, enabling TFA gives you the one-time option to log out of all the PlayStation systems you own. Might just do the trick.
 
i have the same problem and sony support is just stupid..they said to me to wait 6 month to deactivate...
Really ? Then why you are there then....if i could i wouldnt contact to you

They allow hackers to play games for 6-month...

Xbox support did deactivation in 3 minutes...Support people has to deactivate without 6 month thing...Really stupid...Sony support sucks
 
This reminded me to set up two factor authentication which I just did. I feel more secure now.
 
Actually, IIRC, enabling TFA gives you the one-time option to log out of all the PlayStation systems you own. Might just do the trick.

There is that option, but choosing it did jack shit for me other than logging me out of my browser. My PS3, 4, and Vita were still logged in. Maybe it just bugged out for me. Hope it works for the OP.
 
There is that option, but choosing it did jack shit for me other than logging me out of my browser. My PS3, 4 and Vita were still logged in. Maybe it just bugged out for me. Hope it works for the OP.

I think I didn't hit it the checkbox and it logged me out... I wonder if they switched the meaning.
 
There is that option, but choosing it did jack shit for me other than logging me out of my browser. My PS3, 4, and Vita were still logged in. Maybe it just bugged out for me. Hope it works for the OP.

I was forced to relogin on my PS3 when I did it. Oh I mean I was forced to relogin when I created the Device Specific Password for the PS3/Vita
 
i have the same problem and sony support is just stupid..they said to me to wait 6 month to deactivate...
Really ? Then why you are there then....if i could i wouldnt contact to you

They allow hackers to play games for 6-month...

Xbox support did deactivation in 3 minutes...Support people has to deactivate without 6 month thing...Really stupid...Sony support sucks

On the phone it's hard to prove who you are when the people who compromised your account might also have some of your personal info associated with your account. Let's not forget that one popular way to compromise accounts is by specifically targeting customer support services by people pretending to be one of their clients.
 
There is that option, but choosing it did jack shit for me other than logging me out of my browser. My PS3, 4, and Vita were still logged in. Maybe it just bugged out for me. Hope it works for the OP.

Logged in... But were they still activated/primary?
 
There is that option, but choosing it did jack shit for me other than logging me out of my browser. My PS3, 4, and Vita were still logged in. Maybe it just bugged out for me. Hope it works for the OP.

i did same thing and my ps4 logged out...
But this is not solution. He can play your games anyway, because he has your ps4 as primary..And you cant still deactivate it
 
My PS3, 4, and Vita were still logged in.

Once you have two factor authentication turned on there's no way for the PS3 or Vita to log in with the old/current password since they don't have two factor comparability, you need to generate a new application/device specific type password just for them.
 
vO1sHmy.gif


I thought there was 2 step now with the sending a text to your phone ?
 
I changed my hard drive. Which makes my old hard drive my "active" ps4. I am currently on deployment with horrid internet.

None of my software will function at all without being signed online.

Emailed sony about it they told me to go fuck myself.
 
Top Bottom