PlayStation Australia Never Miss a Chance to Prove They Don't Care about Customers

Lge on 07/07/2015 - 17:04
Last edited 13/07/2015 - 15:55 by 1 other user

Long story short: bought $45 of digital content on PlayStation Network Australia in Australian dollars (yes, massively overcharged Aussie prices and not very ozbargainy) with my Australian account. I've had region-blocking issues in the past and have since used everything Australian.

Turns out that the game disc I bought on eBay Amazon is from the US and although the game works fine, the Australian content won't work. So I nicely write to PSN Support asking to please reverse the transaction of digital content because I can't enjoy the content and would rather buy some other content that works. I asked to get the $45 in PSN credit - not even an actual refund.

Sony won't refund because of region-stuff T&Cs and simply don't care. I've nicely insisted and I get the same T&Cs reply. It seems they think their Terms and Conditions supersede our Australian consumer rights, AND common sense.

How easily normal companies like Apple, Amazon and Google reverse transactions without hesitation for the sake of customer satisfaction? Well, Play Station prefers to fight and hide behind T&C for digital content that can't be enjoyed in order to gain $45.

I don't really care about the $45, but this is about principle.

I've tweeted from my 3 Twitter accounts seeking attention, have asked my mates to help me out and would love Ozbargainers jumping on-board.
https://twitter.com/WaspUp/status/618297218273968130

I'm looking forward to a World without Region-blocking bullsh*t and without companies that think they can get away with not caring about customers.

9/7/15 UPDATE: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/201881?page=1#comment-2889…

13/7/15 HAPPY ENDING UPDATE: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/201881?page=1#comment-2897…

Mod: Changed title to remove swear

Poll Options

  • 103
    Shut up and pay up. PlayStation is right.
  • 14
    PlayStation is right but refunding is the right thing to do.
  • 131
    PlayStation's lack of customer care is unacceptable. Give 'em hell.
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Comments

  • wildbruce on 07/07/2015 - 17:12
    +7

    I clicked on your link, and the thing that stood out the most was that Xbox are giving you better customer service than PlayStation. I honestly have not bought a SONY product in over 15 years due to terrible customer support in my old school tech days, and it is very interesting to see that not much has changed.

    I suppose it can not be easy when you are always in the news for hacks, and the like, but they should just offer you the content in the region that works for you, or refund, that doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

    Hope it works out for you!!

    • ge on 07/07/2015 - 17:44

      Thanks mate. PS are clearly not "#4ThePlayers"

      • Charity on 08/07/2015 - 13:15
        +9

        Agree with your statements. But the best way to create change is to STOP GIVING THEM YOUR MONEY!!! Yes STOP.

        But they just put out a hot new release… NO DON'T BUY IT.

        But it's an exclusive! NO DON'T BUY IT.

        But all my mates tell me to… NO DON'T BUY IT.

        A Youtuber said i should… NO DON'T BUY IT.

        I hate region locking, but there is no other choice … NO DON'T BUY IT.

        F this, the pressure is too much, i'm buying it just this time, but will rally the world to spam their facebook page… THEY DON'T CARE, YOU BOUGHT IT.

    • twinbag on 08/07/2015 - 14:19
      +1

      I'm similar to you, haven't bought a Sony product for 5+ years now since experiencing their customer service.

      The money they save on poor quality products and even worse customer service, they pour into slick advertising to pull in the next generation of gullible drones.

    • arcticmonkey on 12/07/2015 - 18:57
      +2

      I'd be more worried about the foreign laws we'll be subjected to in the future if the little talked about Trans Pacific Parternship gets through:

      https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/tpp/tpp/the-dirtiest-deal…

  • ProjectZero on 07/07/2015 - 17:16
    +12

    Sorry mate I don't use Twitter so I can't help… but seriously love how someone mentions XBoxsupport and they quickly chime in and ask if you needed assistance…

  • Usernameistaken on 07/07/2015 - 17:32
    +3

    I agree, it's nothing to them to exchange content. It has no cost outside the digital space. It's not like sent you a disc. Sony now has a black mark when I go looking to buy something in the future. "If they couldn't get a piece of digital media exchanged what are they going to be like with my LCD television. That 90 days is worthless. I'm buying Samsung!"

  • ozhunter on 07/07/2015 - 17:46
    +3

    It seems they think their Terms and Conditions supersede our Australian consumer rights

    Which part would apply to your situation?

    • ge on 07/07/2015 - 17:55
      -6

      Well I'm not sure, but I read on the Office of Fair Trading website that under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), products and services bought in Australia from 1 January 2011 come with automatic guarantees that the items or services will work. Businesses must provide these automatic guarantees regardless of any other warranties they give or sell. If a business fails to deliver any of these guarantees, consumers have consumer rights for: repair, replacement or refund; cancelling a service; compensation for damages and loss.

      Obviously this is a tricky one because one product isn't from Australia but shouldn't that prevent me from buying the AU content in the first place? Or shouldn't common sense prevail over Terms, Conditions and Legislation?

      • ozhunter on 07/07/2015 - 18:00
        +34

        The content does work, just not for the region on the game you bought. It's your responsibility to make sure it's compatible with your product.

        • plmko on 07/07/2015 - 18:58
          +14

          @gestaba:

          Come on mate, look at the logic, you've purchased overseas content (imported a gadget) and found out it's incompatible with local content (gadget requires 120v, different standards etc).

          Yeah yeah blah blah, sob story, in the end of the day you've haphazardly purchased products without doing any research or questioning and now suddenly you want someone to write off your purchase. I can't see where consumer law is suppose to protect you when 'Australian' part of the digital content functions as it should, you just don't have the other half.

          If anything what you should be chasing (and technically consumer law does protect you, whether you can enforce it) the person who sold you the US game, as that is where the 'unfit for purpose' lies.

        • ge on 07/07/2015 - 19:11

          @plmko:
          Even if what you're saying is true, what does PS lose by reversing the $45 digital transaction in PS money so that I can buy other content from them? Do you think Amazon, Google or Apple would fight over this? Or would they prefer a happy customer who's going to spend the $45 dollars anyway?

        • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 19:17

          @gestaba: They wouldn't refund you a cent either for digital content. Google would but only for 15 minutes which tbh it usually takes for you to download a big app that costs anything worth chasing a refund over.

        • plmko on 07/07/2015 - 19:31
          +4

          @gestaba:

          Don't get me wrong, i'm not defending their customer service, but let's not confuse 'service' with 'rights'.

          And it's the same attitude for the majority of digital content providers, for instance Amazon won't refund digital content (MP3, video, Ebook etc etc), you could beg on live chat but success is more of an exception rather than the rule.

          F'''ing you is a bit strong, more like they're being blunt about their rights. I'd say something like Paypal suspending and freezing peoples funds for no reason is F'''ing you.

        • natsumezoku on 07/07/2015 - 21:53

          @plmko:

          If anything what you should be chasing (and technically consumer law does protect you, whether you can enforce it) the person who sold you the US game

          From op

          I bought on eBay is from the US

          Nope, bought from US, US laws apply.

          Also it was perfectly fit for purpose. The thing works as stated, and I would presume they would have the region stated on the auction (however the point stands even if not though less solid.)

          It would be the wise thing to do for customer service sure and I reckon they should, but as you say, to argue legal rights is barking up the wrong tree.

        • wildbruce on 08/07/2015 - 09:52
          +1

          I think the argument around the content is moot. If the game was bought from SONY directly, it would be easier, as they could choose which to replace. From what I know about the ACC and consumer rights, you are entitled to a refund if the item:
          1 - has a problem that would have stopped someone from buying the item if they had known about it
          2 - is unsafe
          3 - is significantly different from the sample or description
          4 - doesn't do what we said it would, or what you asked for and can't be easily fixed

          The simple summary is that your additional content does not work, had you know that you would not have bought it [point 1.] You could also argue point 4.

          SONY could obviously argue point 3, and then it really comes down to how obvious they make it, not being a SONY customer I shall leave that to you to go back and check, but looking at point 1, if it really was that obvious, you would not have bought it in the first place, unless of course you like wasting money :)

          From a customer service standpoint however, their response is terrible. The least they should do is give you "store credit." I assume that their DRM means you can't just rip the content and resell it, so you are presumably not in a position to rip them off?

          Most retailers understand that to keep your customers happy, you sometimes need to flex beyond the bounds of what the law states, and to be clear the law is there to give you the minimum amount of protection, which is why they tend to give you store credit, it is win-win, they get to keep the money they made, and they have a happy customer, SONY apparently does not get this.

        • ozhunter on 09/07/2015 - 04:49
          +1

          @gestaba:

          I think they should exchange your credit, and it would be bad customer service for them not to, but I wouldn't say they are obligated to. I also don't think this is a case of Sony mistreating its customers.

          I do agree that region-blocking is a pita.

        • meong on 10/07/2015 - 15:55

          @natsumezoku:

          I don't agree.

          The game was bought from the US. But the digital content was bought from PSN AU. OP was just asking for a refund of the $45 he/she spent on PSN AU. So, technically, PSN AU should be operating under AU Consumer law.

          OP can't get a refund of the disc since it was bought from US and Amazon was operating under US law. But that is not what the OP was asking.

        • natsumezoku on 11/07/2015 - 09:02

          @4iedemon:

          I was addressing plmko's comment. The reasons why I don't think he would get a refund from PSN AU is addressed in plmko's comments which I agree with.

          plmko also said that op should be chasing after the original seller of the game, which was what my reply was addressing.

          The comment tree is a bit confusing but the comment I was replying to was a bit further up.

        • meong on 11/07/2015 - 09:42

          @natsumezoku:

          Fair enough, I confused myself here… X-D

      • natsumezoku on 07/07/2015 - 22:10

        Well I'm not sure

        It's the vibe

  • ge on 07/07/2015 - 17:52
    -3

    By the way, can you believe a Content Services Manager @ PlayStation Australia teased me about using 3 Twitter accounts instead of helping?
    http://imgur.com/oTb2Pzg

    • ozhunter on 07/07/2015 - 17:55

      You could take it as he was helping you to manage multiple twitter accounts. They gave you an answer; you didn't like it. Doesn't mean you need to spam their twitter account with the same thing.

    • wildbruce on 08/07/2015 - 10:00
      +2

      Whilst what he did was unprofessional, and also a bit immature, I would say try to keep things above board. Posting that on Imgur is an emotional response, I would suggest you remove it, at best it can bee seen as equally immature, which does nothing to help your case.

      Lodge a complaint with the ACC, let the chips fall where they may, but don't reduce yourself, it is not worth it, the internet has enough trolls.

      • ge on 08/07/2015 - 10:40
        +2

        You're right. Image taken down.

  • Whiskeyjack on 07/07/2015 - 18:48

    Which game is it for? Maybe someone here can trade discs, or you can sell the US copy and get a local one to be able to access the DLC.

    • ge on 07/07/2015 - 19:23

      Rocksmith 2014

      • Forfiet on 10/07/2015 - 17:25

        darn you missed out on that cheap guitar+game version at ebgames…..

  • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 19:14
    +12

    It looks to me like you're going after the wrong people. Sony delivered the goods you were expecting, it's the eBay seller who sold you a US game when you were thinking it's a AU/PAL copy. Sony can be assholes at times but they are 100% in the right here.

    • ge on 07/07/2015 - 19:27
      -7

      I understand your point, but even if they are right. Shouldn't common sense prevail? By reversing the transaction in PS money, they still get the revenue and keep a happy customer that buy some other content that can be used.

      • [Deactivated] on 09/07/2015 - 07:36
        +2

        They do not get any revenue from you. They already got paid by the American person. For you, they are giving away credit even though you haven't purchased anything from them.

      • Saaaaaad on 10/07/2015 - 15:39

        DLC being region specific on PSN is well known. The mistake was on your part. Common sense has prevailed.

        • McFly on 10/07/2015 - 16:03
          +3

          DLC being region specific on PSN is well known.

          To us here, yes. Newsflash: We aren't representative of the average Australian.

          The mistake was on your part.

          Debatable.

          Common sense has prevailed.

          lol

    • meong on 10/07/2015 - 15:58

      There should be a warning when purchasing the content that says something like "Only compatible with AU region game".

      I've seen DLC showing such warning. If the warning was there and OP still bought it, then it's the OP's fault.

      • McFly on 10/07/2015 - 16:11

        I just went through a mock purchase of 3 random DLCs (up to payment screen, on a PC) and all they specified was the name of the game they applied to.
        If anything (ie. product code is shown) is shown anywhere (else) then I've missed it…

        • deek on 10/07/2015 - 16:35

          I've only ever bought DLC from the console, so I just gave it a try via the Sony store on a PC browser. Searched for the Uncharted 2 Gold weapons pack. Uncharted 2 is a good test case, because the Australian and UK versions of the game have a different product code, hence their DLC are incompatible. For just about every other game, the UK and Aus versions have exactly the same code.

          This is the URL for the DLC:
          https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-au/gold-weapons-pack/cid…

          The description definitely contains the product code. You can also see the product code in the URL above (BCES00509). Strange that you missed it.

        • McFly on 10/07/2015 - 16:52

          @deek: I guess the ones I picked weren't regionalised. Still, they don't make it (product code requirement) very prominent - apparently the 'extra shine' is more important!

        • deek on 10/07/2015 - 16:58

          @McFly:
          That's true. It would be nicer if they could make it stand out from the surrounding text. Putting it in bold would be a good idea.

  • mooney on 07/07/2015 - 19:17
    +3

    Sony increasingly appears to be in the dark ages with customer service. I was quite interested in their new android tablet but when doing my usual internet research the volume of people unhappy with their experience of Sony's products was overwhelming. My favourite being their lack of customer care when their waterproof phones fail due to getting wet!

    I'll be steering clear from these guys for good. If they haven't even worked out how to keep an issue as basic as this from escalating I've no confidence in giving them my money for something that costs a couple of thousand bucks.

    • Circly on 07/07/2015 - 19:30
      +2

      To be fair my Xperia Z2 is getting way more updates than my Samsung phones ever did. They get the tick there.

      • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 19:45
        +1

        Same, love my Z2 tablet.

      • ge on 07/07/2015 - 20:08
        -3

        I also happen to have a Sony smartphone - the Xperia Z3 Compact and am loving it. Battery lasts 2 days easy.

        I take that back. I hate Sony.

  • KaTst3R on 07/07/2015 - 19:31

    Sony is super anal about cross regional purchase. Their policy is damn bloody confusing and annoying…

    • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 19:52
      +1

      No, they're open and much better than Nintendo who region lock games so you can't buy them from abroad. Many people don't bother reading up though on the limitations. Different region games have different licensing restrictions set by third parties as well as different content that is not available to us (due to our wise licensing board believing adults can't see certain stuff in video games) and so on. Still, Sony allow us to bypass this easily by using a secondary account to download content from whichever region we wish to, can't fault that.

    • brownhux on 08/07/2015 - 15:10
      -1

      That's a blanket statement and untrue. Their games consoles are region free. That's great.

  • Axelstrife on 07/07/2015 - 19:46
    +3

    who cares whether they are right or not.
    You would think making your customer happy would be top priority not take there money and providing (profanity) all customer service or help.

    it's Sony fault that there are any restrictions in the first place dlcs should not matter where the game originally came from.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 19:56
      -1

      Tell our licensing board that. Sony don't implement restrictions on what we can and can't see, they do.

      Also if they allow someone to get a refund then what is to stop me from buying $500 worth of games, disconnecting my PS4 from the internet and then asking for a refund and continuing to play my stolen games? This is why Sony do this, if they allowed refund they would need to implement always online DRM.

      • Axelstrife on 07/07/2015 - 20:06
        +1

        1. at 20-50gb a game i doubt you could do that.

        2. Look at Steam they now offer refunds to games not played anymore them 2 hours.

        ^whats stopping sony?
        pc user can pirate anything they want a hell of a lot more easier them any console gamer yet steam has managed it why not sony?

        why not a refund button like what android has where for the following hours after you buy the app you can click and get your money back but instead of time length its like steam and amount the content was used that way people have time to actuly download it on our slow internet speeds.

        That way when a user wants a refund they simply click and in one motion you both get your money back and whatever removed from your console/psn account.
        So you have to be connected to the internet to get your refund.

        • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 20:19

          AFAIK it's 15 minutes with Google Play unless they've upped it.

          Not sure what 1/ has to do with my comment, could you elaborate a bit? Also Sony have trials for games that last an hour or more in many cases, isn't this just the same thing?

        • Axelstrife on 07/07/2015 - 20:26
          +1

          @Where's_That_Cake:Yes its now 1 hour on google play.

          It's a joke but also very true.

          Op's post is about dlc not a game whats your point?

        • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2015 - 20:52

          @holden93: My point is about their blanket policy on refunds for digital data unless you're speaking about my comment on game trials then I was referring to your comment on Steam refunding stuff played less than two hours. A demo/trial is going to get you that time to decide if you like a game. Also any game bought from PSN will work on the system whereas Steam isn't such a straight up process, your machine might not be able to handle it and Greenlight games are often unusable.

        • natsumezoku on 07/07/2015 - 22:06

          As much as everyone likes to talk about Steam and how good it is, they still gloss over the fact that it is a huge DRM system.

          Also good luck trying to get an actual refund instead of getting credit into your Steam wallet.

          I doubt Sony in Australia and in the US are actually the same company (under the same parent company perhaps) so it's not that easy to do a straight swap I would imagine.

          pc user can pirate anything they want a hell of a lot more easier them any console gamer yet steam has managed it why not sony?

          I take it you don't remember the days of ps2 and earlier where all you had to do was chip your console and you could pirate practically any game you wanted just by hiring it (or better still doing the 7 day buy and return at eb games) and just copy the cd in your cd burner.

          What's changed is that the consoles moved into an effort to stop piracy and this kind of bs is the stuff they came up with to do it. Not saying it's right or wrong or the most ideal way, but it's one of the ways.

        • deek on 08/07/2015 - 15:25

          @natsumezoku:

          To be accurate, Steam is a distribution platform. It does implement DRM, but it is optional and dependent on the publisher of the game. You can download DRM free games on Steam that do not require an internet connection, or preauthorisation for offline mode, to play them. It's actually quite common.

          The Steam refund policy is explicitly stated at http://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/ . Note that it says it will refund to the Steam Wallet or the original payment system. I believe the last qualifies as an "actual refund".

        • natsumezoku on 11/07/2015 - 09:13
          +1

          @deek:

          I missed the 'original payment system' part and agree with you that is an actual refund.

          However I do not really consider steam's DRM really optional since every game you purchase is done through a single account and requires you to continually use that account. If you ever lose your account you can not get those games back.

          Also the list of those games is incredibly small and are mostly cheap low profile games

          A big factor is steam makes those games so cheap during sales and easy to integrate with a delivery system you're already using that people will buy them anyway. It would be a different story if huge triple A titles were on that list too.

        • deek on 11/07/2015 - 14:20
          -1

          @natsumezoku:

          In one paragraph, you say you do not consider Steam's DRM as optional. The next paragraph, you supply a link to a long list of games that can be downloaded through Steam, and run without Steam. Seems to be a conflict in your argument.

          So, to refute your original statement, Steam is not a huge DRM system. It is a distribution platform, of which DRM is an optional component.

        • natsumezoku on 13/07/2015 - 14:09

          @deek:

          Just because there are a handful of games that are DRM optional, the vast majority, and the ones most people use steam for are not.

          And from that I consider steam to be 'not DRM optional,' if I were to add a side note 'unless you only use it to play games on the DRM free list.' Which I highly doubt anyone does.

          Take a look at the list and read through the games. I don't consider that list 'long' at all. I wouldn't even be surprised if the majority of Steam users don't have a single one of those games. Most of them seem like shovelware.

          DRM free is an exception not the rule on steam.

        • deek on 13/07/2015 - 16:22

          @natsumezoku:

          You still bandy this word "optional" like you don't understand the meaning of it. Even if there were only one game on Steam that was DRM free, it would demonstrate the DRM is optional on Steam. No matter how much rhetoric you try to use, the definition of the word is inescapable.

          Let me pick out a few great games from the DRM free list. I'll only choose games that start with A and B, to save me time going through the whole list.
          * Alpha Protocol
          * Amnesia: The Dark Descent
          * Anachronox
          * Antichamber
          * Assassin's Creed (Director's Cut)
          * Bastion
          * Baldur's Gate, Enhanced Edition
          * Batman: Arkham Asylum (GOTY)
          * Borderlands 2
          * Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
          * Broken Age
          * Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
          * Brutal Legend

          I know these to be quality games. I'm sure there are others in the A-B range, but I'm not familiar with them.

          I'm still not sure what they have to do with the argument that "Steam is a huge DRM system". You seem to be trying to say the DRM free games are crap, therefore they should not be counted. I'm trying to say that it doesn't matter whether they're crap or not. The fact that Steam has DRM free games proves that the DRM is optional.

          The corollary is: don't blame Steam when game publishers choose to implement DRM in their game. Steam will happily cope with both DRM encumbered and DRM free games. It is not at fault when publishers enable DRM.

        • natsumezoku on 19/07/2015 - 17:22

          @deek:

          To my knowledge all of those games have been under $5 in a steam sale (and in my opinion the vast majority are pretty bad too), and not worth putting drm on. And that list is 'A to B'. And while some of those list may be good, only 3 or 4 of them are not 'low profile' games.

          Your list of A-B of 'quality' games comes to 13. 26 letters in the alphabet 169 games.

          There are about 400 games total on that DRM free list.

          There are over 12,550 games on steam.

          So because about 3.2% of the games on steam are DRM free (and probably less than 10 of them to be high profile games as opposed to small games that cost <$5), you consider Steam to not be a 'huge DRM system.'

          Saying steam DRM is optional and then ignoring the fact that the vast majority of Steam games do have DRM and using that fact as though it were a 'gotcha moment' in an discussion (with the person I was replying too, who was replying to another person who clearly says 'because DRM') is silly don't you think?

          holden93 (the person I was replying to)

          at 20-50gb a game i doubt you could do that.

          Look at Steam they now offer refunds to games not played anymore them 2 hours.

          ^whats stopping sony?

          where'_That_Cake's (the person Holden was replying to)

          This is why Sony do this, if they allowed refund they would need to implement always online DRM.

          If we were to apply your line of argument to everything we may as well say stuff like prisons also hold a handful of innocent wrongfully accused people so let's ignore the vast majority of guilty people in there and argue as though only the wrongfully accused matter and just ignore all other discussion and free them all.

          It's optional in the same way using torrents for legal purposes are optional. Sure there are a few people who do use it for legal purposes. But the vast majority of people don't even know how to, let alone that it can, let alone actually do. So going around saying 'oh but it's optional' and completely ignoring that the vast majority of people don't use it for the 'optional' part and then using that point as a straw man in a discussion about the platform is silly.

    • ge on 07/07/2015 - 20:09
      -2

      This.

  • soza on 08/07/2015 - 08:37
    +1

    its still easy to pirate Sony gaming stuff…take the the old fat PS3 for instance, and even easier a softmod on the old the PSP. China sell knock of memory cards, controllers and what not and as for the PS store most people I know have multi accounts and share digital titles. You cant fight the big corporates but you can screw then a little bit here and there.

  • competecarrot on 08/07/2015 - 08:59

    Had this issue with trying to refund and cancel and autorenewed PSN membership. I ended up paying the $70 for the second year, but vowed never to give Sony (particularly digital gaming, but also gaming generally) a dollar of my money again.

    It's been 3 years so far - I haven't bought any Sony products. I wouldn't mind buying PS Vita or PS4 second hand at some point, but that'd wait until the resale price drops a lot. Screw Sony's refund policies for digital products

  • rhz on 08/07/2015 - 09:12
    +2

    I think you need to take responsibility for your own actions on this one.

    It's not Sony's job to do research into whether a U.S. game and AU DLC will work together (regardless of how crap region restrictions are), it's yours, you should have done the research before purchasing it.

    • wildbruce on 08/07/2015 - 10:17
      +5

      How much should the average consumer have to actually know before just buying something? And how obvious do they make it when you hit "buy" that it is will not work with a disc purchased outside of AU?

      Yes there was an error, but OP went straight back and stated that what he just bought did not work. We are not talking about a month later, SONY could just say "hey, spend that money on some other stuff, we will credit your PlayStation account." If they really wanted to help a customer out, they may offer a discount on the original game [unlikely now that this has gone public.] "Hey OP, don't buy from eBay next time, we might be more expensive but at least everything works together, here is 20% off coupon to buy the game from us, we suggest you send back that faulty disc you bought" - in the long run that would cost them nothing, and I bet you OP would be happy, telling all his mates, "buy direct from SONY, it cost a little more, but they look after you" and then the fault would be easily pushed to some poor eBay seller [and on that front you are stuffed because those guys always list the region info.]

      From a customer service point of view, how do you delight your customers so they promote you rather than resorting to desperate pleas for help, and thereby creating customers for life! Customer service is not hard, and companies that do it well have an army of customers that will go to battle for them, not against them.

      • dazweeja on 08/07/2015 - 13:33
        +4

        They would require no knowledge if they bought it from a legitimate Australian business or the AU PSN store. The game would work, the DLC would work. No issue. Some Australian business do sell grey imports but they make it clear.

        Also, from Sony's point of view, this stuff is rampant. People buying discs from grey importers on eBay, sites like Game Deal Daily reselling keys, dudes on eBay selling account with pre-installed games, etc. You are basically saying that Sony should be providing sales support for when things go wrong and it wasn't anything to do with Sony. I disagree. It's perfectly reasonable to say that the product they sold was working and they don't provide support for problems caused by other unathorised purchases. They want to discourage people getting into these situations, not continually cleaning up the mess afterwards. Some companies do go the extra mile when their products are not what the customer wanted. In this case, the product was exactly what the customer intended to purchase - DLC for an AU game - the product they bought from someone else was not. Seems a bit silly to say that Sony should try to please a customer because the customer was shafted by someone else.

        Sony are blameless in this - the OP should be directing his anger at the original seller or at least accepting that he took a risk buying from an eBay seller to get a lower price and got burnt.

        • wildbruce on 09/07/2015 - 09:37
          +2

          I partly agree, but we are in 2015, and the world has moved online. If SONY make it clear for their content purchases [and I have no idea because I am not a customer] that it is region blocked, then you are right, but if that were the case then OP probably would not have bought bought it. In fact if there was even everything to suggest it may not work he at least would have checked.

          Almost everything I buy I buy online, and that is pretty much the way the modern world works, and if you make it easy and seamless for your customers, you tend to do well [Netflix] and if you don't you drive customers towards piracy [SONY, afaik, from reading about their piracy issues]

          And whilst it is not their responsibility, why not have something that just checks your eligibility to make the purchase, run a comparison against the disc then refuse the purchase. A much cleaner way to run the process, after all the check happens anyway which is why the content does not work? Then offer to sell the disc as well, up sell, generally accepted good sales practice.

          Maybe I just fall back to what my grandad taught me, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem…

          SONY can do so much better imho.

  • DarkOz on 08/07/2015 - 09:26
    +2

    20 years ago we bought a bunch of CDs that has regional blocking. After finding out the first few didn't work we stored the rest in the corner of a cabinet. It's not about Sony not caring. It's about you making a mistake. Money has nothing to do with it.

    It's up to the OP to boycott Sony if he is not happy with it.

    • caitsith01 on 09/07/2015 - 12:31
      +3

      "It's about you making a mistake."

      Disagree. These companies impose these arbitrary and confusing region lock systems for no reason other than to try to maximise their own profits. It is perfectly reasonable that a customer who has a working version of item A buys item B, which is designed to work with item A, and expects that it will just work. If they have imposed a magical rule that stops it from working, then that is at Sony's feet.

      Customers cannot seriously be expected to exhaustively research ever changing DRM policies for every product they buy. These are cheap consumer products, not high end pieces of tech.

      • deek on 09/07/2015 - 13:22

        Just because you don't understand it, does not make the system arbitrary. Read my post below for some very valid reasons why the system is as it is.

        Confusing, on the other hand, is a good description. Also, if you're buying DLC through a console, Sony should implement some checks to see if the compatible base game is already installed, otherwise they should show a warning message before someone commits to the purchase. I'm sure many people have experienced this issue before, so it'd be more customer friendly to have these checks in place.

        This appears to be a case of Caveat Emptor, in which case the buyer does have to assume responsibility for the mistake. Confusing though the system may be, the information was there. If you look at DLC items in the Sony Store, it definitely mentions that you need a specific version of the game. It even gives you the product code needed. Can't get more specific than that.

  • infinite on 08/07/2015 - 09:53

    Pretty sure the laughable release of their terrible value & years behind the times "next gen" console was proof enough of that in the first place.

  • duchy on 08/07/2015 - 10:01
    +6

    It's very easy. Companies that are not friendly to their customers have no place on the market.

    If you don't like how you are being treated, vote with your walllet. Sell the playstation, buy Xbone or Xbox360 and never buy another product from Sony again.

    That few dollars can cost them dearly in a long run.

    I do that whenever I am unhappy with a service.

    Duchy

    • [Deactivated] on 08/07/2015 - 14:57

      I suggest you buy something from Xbox and then tell them you have changed your mind, see how nice they are before buying their consoles on the notion that they'll refund you.

      • duchy on 08/07/2015 - 20:01

        I don't know about Microsoft, but Amazon was happy to refund me for a product which didn't work in Australia.

        Needless to say they have one more devoted customer. And it didn't cost them almost anything.

        There are some great stories in "How to win friends and influence people" which are of similar nature. Often these situations are win-win scenarios in the long run.

        Companies like Zappos built their business model on a happy customer. Sony didn't and based on their financial results have a long way to go to be in 21st century when it comes to CRM.

  • psyren89 on 08/07/2015 - 10:41
    +1

    This may or may not be related/helpful: http://games.on.net/2015/05/psn-ps4-hacked-refund-australia/

    • ge on 08/07/2015 - 10:46

      Thanks for sharing this. Although my case is different, it's good to know there's precedent in the government forcing Sony to do the right thing.

  • fusion17 on 08/07/2015 - 10:54
    +5

    The OP should have done more research before buying content for a different regions game - Its that simple. As mentioned, it's something they have done in the past so should have been more aware.

    I say this as someone who did the same for games like rockband and SF4 costumes etc. ie. buying local content for an imported game. This works fine on some games, whereas others can have many issues such as not connecting to local servers for online play.

  • wako on 08/07/2015 - 10:57
    +1

    they refunded my Last of us expansion download when I tried to get the USA one cheaper…well credited

  • [Deactivated] on 08/07/2015 - 11:06
    +1

    not really defending anyone but when does code become different when its made for the same console but just for a different region?
    i believe there shouldnt be any region locking at all but the tactic of this is to charge said regions either more or less then others.

    regarding the DLC that op did purchase, maybe they should have given him a refund of credit back onto his account within a certain time frame though but i dont know how it could be managed for this sort of stuff that get tacked onto a game.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/07/2015 - 14:59

      For instance:

      The Last Of Us is gore free in AU, buy the US version and you're in a splatter fest.

  • tyler.durden on 08/07/2015 - 13:11
    +9

    No laws can protect against being stupid

    • ge on 08/07/2015 - 13:32

      My mum told me the same thing.

    • caitsith01 on 09/07/2015 - 12:31
      +1

      What aspect of this person's behaviour do you consider "stupid"?

  • Super8Tab on 08/07/2015 - 20:22
    +1

    Just a heads up from my experience as I was in the same situation (Bought last of us Left behind for US region for my Australian copy, obviously didn't work and hours of frustration and i thought it's my mistake and move on, however since i bought it from amazon i politely emailed their support explaining the mishap and got a refund for my copy within 1 business day, happy days).

    In your case since no one is responding just move on it's gone. Now i know the region trick for the future but If i ever want to buy DLC/credits I will try to buy from amazon first, lesson learned.

    • ge on 11/07/2015 - 17:26

      You're absolutely right! Amazon cares about their customers, and even refund for physical stuff (with intrinsic value) they physically shipped. Sony don't give a damn about their customers, won't refund digital content (no intrinsic value) and would even fight the customer over weeks.

      But I disagree with something. I'm not moving on. I'll fight them in court if necessary to prove how unfair they are and force them to be more transparent.

  • neonlight on 08/07/2015 - 21:46

    Unfortunately you know being in Australia means you have to do your home work. There's nothing much you can do because simply you should have known the game from eBay is US region, and still purchased aussie content.

    It's the Australia tax

  • dan-dan on 08/07/2015 - 22:24
    +1

    It was not SCE's intention to region-lock. "No physical barriers - only language barriers."

    Sony's top execs have reiterated that the PlayStation 3 will be region-free for games, although not for Blu-ray movies. We'll cry about that one later.

    Wired's games-blog spoke to Phil Harrison, head of worldwide development, during the Tokyo Game Show and the big man said as much.

    They also ran into Ken Kutaragi, whose keynote last week quietly announced a drop in the Japanese PS3 price and the inclusion of HDMI in the 20GB model worldwide.

    Ken was a bit more elusive, but when asked whether downloadable games would be region-free as well as packaged games, SCE's president said there would be "no physical barriers in that case - only language barriers".

    Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news250906ps3regions

    • deek on 09/07/2015 - 10:12
      +1

      DLC is region locked on the PS3/4, and will always be that way, because I believe the reasons are technical and legal.

      Sony have to create different "versions" of the game for different regions. Reasons are for language content and any particular restrictions that the region requires for games. Each version has a different BL code. On a physical copy of the game, you can see the code on the spine of the case (code starts with BLES/BLUS/BLAS). Now, when the game runs on the console, it will search for additional data (updates, DLC, save files) using that code. If the data doesn't exist under that code, then the game won't find it.

      Hence we get the situation where, whilst the games themselves are region free, the DLC must be matched to that particular version of the game, and become region locked. You need to download DLC that matches the BL code of the game.

      It should be technically possible for Sony to design the system so that DLC is generic to all version of that particular game. Legally speaking, they may not be able to do that. Countries that have laws on game content would see it as bypassing their laws. Effectively, Sony would be breaking the law in that country.

      • dan-dan on 09/07/2015 - 21:37

        You're right, my JPN discs are coded with BLJ for Japan or BLAS for Asia.

        OP can purchase SCEE (europe) media to match the DLC purchased in european languages.

        JPN packaging is labelled 'For Japan ONLY', US packaging "Licensed for distribution in the USA", for legal reasons.

      • rump parliament on 10/07/2015 - 12:01
        +1

        I agree there's no technical reason here, they have designed DLC to be deliberate region-locking DRM. Localisation is poor excuse as well because A)most games are translated to English for the US market anyway B)PS3 regions include multiple countries i.e. NZ and Aus have different classification regimes.

        PS3 games are region-generic so your 'generic dlc would enable bypassing of regional classification' doesn't hold water.

        It's region locked so they can price regions differently, and in this case price gouge Australians.

        • deek on 10/07/2015 - 13:44
          +2

          Occam's Razor, my friend. You're looking for conspiracies where there are none. The region locking property of DLC is a consequence of the system, not a deliberate design mechanism.

          Sony have to make different versions of a game for different regions. They have to ensure that any addons are consistent with the original game. The consequence of those two rules leads to what we have now.

          Yeah, my regional classification argument was a bit weak, considering that the original games are region free. You have to think, though, why deliberately lock DLC to a specific version, when the games themselves are unrestricted. The answer is as simple as the DLC was specifically designed and tested for that version.

      • lolmao on 14/08/2015 - 20:09

        I think Xbox does not have this problem though

  • ironsword on 08/07/2015 - 23:10
    +3

    I'd be persistent in trying to get a refund. The ACCC recently forced EA to provide refunds (or at least change their misleading T&C's) on their Origin store. https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/electronic-arts-undert…

    • ge on 11/07/2015 - 17:11

      This is awesome. Thanks for sharing. I'm willing to go to tribunal to prove how unfair PlayStation is being and force them to be more transparent.

  • g452 on 09/07/2015 - 00:40
    +2

    Sony are certainly playing a corporate game of fingers in ears lalalalalaaa

    Short story: my kid accidentally buys content ingame and hours later I get the email and send a nice refund request to Sony. Email back - they say no and specifically state that due to immediate availability they do not offer refunds.

    I send another email outlining Australian Consumer Law, replete with links and media releases re: Valve lawsuit and yet again Sony reply no - again stating immediate availability and going further by stating that digital content cannot be "returned" they cannot consider a refund.

    So I send third more strongly worded email indicating that this will be reported to ACCC and I get "We will not overturn the decision that head office have made in regards to your refund."

    I do understand that my particular circumstances may not fall under ACL protection, however Sony's stance is extremely disappointing and also belligerent given them pointedly and repeatedly ignoring ACL. Have not contacted ACCC yet due to other commitments but I will be asap. I would encourage others in similar situations to do so as well.

    [edit: once I realised what happened I immediately enabled "require password at checkout" option. But this is not enabled by default on a PS3 so end users have to actively enable this security feature.]

    • wildbruce on 09/07/2015 - 09:41
      +1

      I recall reading something similar with Apple, not sure if Apple refunded because they are more customer centric, or whether it was legally motivated, but Apple customers got refunds, and I think they also made dollar purchases require you to enter your apple password.

      In fact, if they did that off their own back [and not because of the law] then that is exactly how you build a brand around customer service, say what you want about apple, their customers tend to stick with them.

      SONY - if you are reading, please buy a few copies of this, and distribute amongst your customer service team: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zombie-Loyalists-Publisher-MacMillan…

      … just hope they ship to your region … ;)

    • syousef on 09/07/2015 - 19:47
      +3

      Quit threatening them and contact the ACCC. Whether the complaint is resolved in your favour or not it is registered as a complaint and counted in the stats.

  • gccmelb on 09/07/2015 - 08:42
    +1

    Contact the ACCC. They have dedicated lawyers that will investigate this.

  • misterpotatomato on 09/07/2015 - 09:51
    +3

    Chargeback. Seriously. Why are you even wasting your time with this?

    Call your credit card company and say you'd like to start a chargeback for a transaction. A chargeback is the way to go for this, because you bought something and you never got it. You can get into the nitty gritty of compatibility etc, but you bought something and it didn't work the way you thought it would.

    Thats what I would do.

    • McFly on 09/07/2015 - 10:16
      +1

      you bought something and you never got it.
      you bought something and it didn't work

      Can't have it both ways. The OP is in fact in possession of the (licence for the) goods - a chargeback would be classed as fraud.

      • [Deactivated] on 09/07/2015 - 13:20
        +3

        No it's not fraud to chargeback for non working goods the merchant won't take back when they should. That's the point of chargeback. They will revoke the item anyway - by banning your whole account. Don't make things up about supposed fraud

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