210°

My experience with Sony’s appalling customer services

How a random crack on the Vita screen turned into a nightmare for the customer.

Kingthrash3603936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

I had to deal with them when I got the ylod on my ps3. long story short...the customer service representative was being a di*k. I ended up cussing him out abd talking to his boss. boss solved problem.....moral of story...if they treat you bad, cuss them out ask for management problem solved. pretty sure this tactic works with most customer service lines.

iamnsuperman3936d ago

You don't need to "cuss" them. Talking in a controlled and normal manor is enough. All you have to do is say "can I speak/take this up with your manage"

Hellsvacancy3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

No, some people when i'm on the phone upset me that much I HAVE to tell them that they're morons and i'm not going to be treated in that way, otherwise they will think they can speak to anyone like that

Aceman183936d ago

Yea everyone will have a different experience when it comes to customer service. When my original 60 gig broke down when the discontinued that model the rep was actually cool enough to send me a brand new 60 gig from their warehouse.

The second they sent me a new one back 4 days after I sent it out to them only negative was that whoever opened up the system didn't send me back my GT5 that was stuck in the system. That turned out to be OK because a week later a Sony rep gave me his copy for free at my brothers Gamestop when he came there to demo KZ3.

xReDeMpTiOnx3935d ago

@kingtrash, totally agree with you some people need to be cussed out because they don't give respect. Some people no matter how nice and respectful you are to them will still treat you like dirt so applaud you for cussing them out.

I do it when I have problems with customer service and it makes them double think before being a smart azz

iamnsuperman3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

"However; I was then told that the serial number had come off due to general usage. They then said they could identify the console from the remaining numbers, but due to the lack of the serial number it was now out of warranty"

I have this issue right now but I am not backing down. My sticker came off after 5-6 months use and now my screen has gone funny and unpredictable. I have sent a letter, after I called them about the issue, the other day and if that doesn't do anything I will find other means to annoy them. If it means standing outside their office naked with a billboard so be it. It is unacceptable that an important sticker comes off so easily.

http://community.eu.playsta...

NumOnePS3FanBoy3936d ago

Lucky for you That it is actually an issue with the screen not a crack. I say this if you only have the manufacture warranty that comes in every electronic devices for a year. This is replaceable by them because you had absolutely nothing to do with it and is more than likely an internal issue or defective display, which the manufacture warranty has to cover. If this person had a bad time with sony's customer service but only had the manufacture warranty and no extended accidental damage protection than his fight and anyone else's fight is hopeless because they will not repair your screen. If that gentlemen did buy an accidental damage protection for it then they are totally ripping him off and are being dicks about it.

iamnsuperman3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

I know but they still said my warranty is void because of the stickers falling off. I am going to fight it though. I can't afford a replacement nor would I pay for it if I could. I am just going to keep trying with them and if that fails I will just take it higher and contact the Office of Fair Trading....

NumOnePS3FanBoy3936d ago

I've had a similar situation with an asus touchscreen laptop that was a bad batch right from unboxing. I thought they might have been glitches on the screen so I gave asus some feedback. They were pleasant enough to tell me " that is most certainly no bug, but a defective display". The screens responsiveness was pretty bad day after day until I finally called them like a month or two later and told them that I have a bad screen and that that the one year manufacture warranty should cover. And that was it NO hassle NO nothing. They knew I was right and they sent it back to me with a new screen incredibly fast. If I ever have problems like this I hope I experience the same level of no hassle as I did with these guys.

Patashnik3936d ago

Say what you like about Microsoft, when my XBL account was compromised (and I lost A LOT of money) they bent over backwards to make sure I was not only reimbursed, but back up and running as quickly as possible. They even gave me a whole heap of bonuses and then checked up on me a month down the lie to see if everything was okay.

I couldn't fault them at all - it was very impressive.

minimur123936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

very impressive, I'm not on team Xbox but that sounds awesome :)

I may be a playstation fanboy, but I'm more level headed, for example I'll agree that the triggers are better on Xbox ( apart from the fact they're so thin)
I do agree that both sides has it's advantaes/disadvantages, but to be honest, Sony knocks it out of the park with exclusives, look at this photo:
http://i.imgur.com/zl10SZ0....

anyway, that's awesome to have such awesome customer service :)

KingKelloggTheWH3936d ago

When my brother tried to cancel his X-Live they charged him again and told him to pretty much deal with it.

Both have good and bad

FanboyCrusher3936d ago

That's a lie, they don't, and can't do that. They can't recharge you for something such as a Gold subscription attached to a credit card, and when you want to cancel it they charge you the same amount again. From a business point of view that doesn't even make sense. Somebody paid for a certain amount of time, stopped the auto charging, and screwed themselves out of the days left in their subscription, but they want more money from you? Why? They made their penny. It just doesn't work that way. Microsoft of all things they mess up on entirely, they have phenomenal customer service. Long story short Microsoft has it's shortcomings, but it's customer service is one of the best in the industry, hands down.

oof463936d ago

@KingKellogTheWH:Yup. It's why I don't tie my credit card to my console. I've heard it takes a lot of hoop jumping to fix something like that.

However, when my first machine red ringed, whoever I got on the line was really friendly and professional.

Aceman183935d ago

@fanboy

Actually king is telling the truth my friend at work had his live acct hacked and lost money when he called their customer service they told him they'd fix, but they actually charged him again for the same amount that was charged to him by whoever hacked the acct.

He said it took 6 months to actually get his money back, and after that he cancelled his live acct.

Benchm4rk3935d ago (Edited 3935d ago )

@Patashnik

I agree mate. I couldn't fault MS customer service at all. Very helpful and polite on the phone. Have never had to deal with a RROD despite owning a launch console so I guess I was lucky. I did however accidentally stand up and smack my head on the disc tray causing it to not stay closed. My console was out of warranty and it only cost me $118 postage included to fix the drive and they gave me unlimited warranty for 12 months. Sony however was a different story. After about 12 months my console died and would not power up. Could not work out why possibly a power surge. When I contacted them I got rooted around for a while before speaking to a nice person who then went onto explain that it will be a flat fee of $250 and I would have to pay my own postage on top and that I would receive a whopping 3 months warranty when I got the console back. I laughed and hung up the phone. EB games here in Australia at the time were selling pre owned consoles for $299 that came with 12 months warranty so in went down that road. Would never wanna deal with Sony customer service again

KingKelloggTheWH3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

Ive had bad experience with all of them Except Nintendo (never called them)

My friend though had pretty good with Sony and MS,Sony r helped get his old data onto his new ps3 and bricked the ps3 that was stolen from him.He's also owned like 10 ps3/360's....

Also,prepare for fabricated and exaggerated stories!...as you can find already.

GameCents3935d ago

I find that most stories pertaining to "my friend" are bogus. . .

DragonKnight3935d ago

Yeah because everyone has nothing but great experiences with all customer services except for Sony's right?

Aceman183935d ago

I actually tell a true story of what happened to my friend with his live acct and I get disagreed to hell and back because ppl refuse to believe bad customer service can happen to any company including their favorite ones smdh.

KingKelloggTheWH3935d ago

What purpose would lieing about that serve?
It happened,he also got a replacement for his Xbox when it died,since that is pro-Ms I bet you'll be happier.

oof463934d ago

@KingKelloggTheWH: The only experience I've had with Nintendo was calling their gametips hotline as a kid.

hiredhelp3936d ago

Think can be hit and miss here in UK customer services can be pain often tryin to get threw to talk to management cant be done.
I have phoned in past Sony couple times one for my old PSP witch was out date cost of a refurb was ridicules the other was replacement YLOD witch i got replaced then sold on to buy Slim.

My dealings with MS at first was ok.. When i had te launch 360 but after needing a replacement on 2-3 even 4th time. The manner changed resulting inthe end they wouldn't give me back my purchases on XBL. This made me wild of course these were launch 360s and replaced with refurbs.
By that time PS3 was launched sold up bought PS3 and resistance fall of man i was good for solid 3years till got a slim.

Customer services Never something enjoyable im always concerned on who im gonna be taken my matter up with somebody nice? Ignorant? Arrogant? Or just wants to hang up on me.

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140°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers18h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken5h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g14h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing14h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H914h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola10h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66913h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle13h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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130°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg1d 6h ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos1d 6h ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion1d 5h ago (Edited 1d 5h ago )

I think if used correctly it could work well

jambola1d 1h ago

cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me

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280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies21d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken21d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga21d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken21d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6421d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long21d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197221d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic21d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 21d ago
DivineHand12521d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91321d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer21d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91320d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit20d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
Christopher21d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6920d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit20d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher21d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken21d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197221d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic21d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2321d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218321d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder21d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts21d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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