Sony Won't Refund PS4 User Who Lost $600 From Hack

[CRTGAMER]

Remember when Steam locked out all of JT's game purchased downloads (already installed) due to not signing a new infringement clause?

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-w ... 0-6425885/

A Reddit user, going by the name Kadjar, explained that he awoke on Wednesday morning with a series of email alerts stating that about $600 of content had been purchased through his account. He also discovered that his PlayStation 4 has been deactivated from PSN and another system, of which the location is unknown, has seized control as the primary system on the account.

Having spoken to Sony customer services on several occasions throughout the day, his criticisms of its response was summarized accordingly:

- Sony will only refund $150 of the $600 that was taken.
- The money will be in PSN credit, and not refunded into the bank.
- If the user escalates the payment dispute with his bank, his account will be banned.
- If his account is banned, his purchased licenses for games, such as The Last of Us Remastered, will be wiped.
- If the licenses are wiped, there is no way of restoring them.

The user's PlayStation 4 cannot be designated as the primary console for another 6 months, meaning it is locked out of the account until then.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments ... ning_sony/

I called customer support, hoping for some clarification. The agent informed me that there is indeed a refund investigation underway, but that it will be limited to $150, and that it would be credited to my PSN wallet, not my bank account. Furthermore, my account will not be able to activate a new system for 6 months, per Sony policy. I'm completely locked out of my own account until that date. I then asked about what would happen if I got my bank to reverse the charges, and he informed me that it would result in a banned account. I asked if there would be any way to restore my purchases, and he told me that there would not be, but I "only have the Last of Us and a couple of the monthly free deal games," so it's not a big deal.

The user has since posted on the other Forum that Sony is resolving the issue. The power of the press helped him.

This once again brings to light that the games you purchase just might not be yours to keep and can be disabled at a "flick of a switch", controlled by PSN, Steam and other current gaming platforms!

[Gunstar Green]

- If his account is banned, his purchased licenses for games, such as The Last of Us Remastered, will be wiped.
- If the licenses are wiped, there is no way of restoring them.

I think this is a big test for "digital ownership."

It would be like getting thrown out of a furniture store so they come to your house and take back the couch you already payed for.

Getting the media to back him up was the right move.

[dsheinem]

This once again brings to light that the games you purchase just might not be yours to keep and can be disabled at a "flick of a switch", controlled by PSN, Steam and other current gaming platforms!

You aren't buying a game on the PSN, XBL, Steam, etc. --- you are buying a license to play the game. Anyone with two neurons to rub together should understand this, and if they don't that's their own stupid fault. Of course GOG is an exception, to a point...

Granted what happened with this guy is a different matter all together and hopefully Sony and/or his bank works with him to fix things. I don't know if I buy his story completely or whether or not he actually approached things properly in trying to get his problems fixed (or maybe he just had an idiot customer service agent to deal with), but in any case AFAIK there are multiple mechanisms in place with all the major digital distributors to work with customers on issues of account fraud. It happens regularly, and we don't hear these kind of sob stories as typical...

My guess is that this guy went the wrong route trying to fix things, immediately went to reddit and threw a shit fit, and now he's being hailed as some martyr for those who don't like the digital distribution model and/or Sony, the PSN, etc.

[ninjainspandex]

I should really go back to buying PSN cards with cash at a store.

[Gunstar Green]

My guess is that this guy went the wrong route trying to fix things, immediately went to reddit and threw a shit fit, and now he's being hailed as some martyr for those who don't like the digital distribution model and/or Sony, the PSN, etc.

Maybe, but throwing a shit fit got him his $600 back.

Assuming he's telling the truth about Sony's customer service anyway.

[Xeogred]

Owned.

[dsheinem]

My guess is that this guy went the wrong route trying to fix things, immediately went to reddit and threw a shit fit, and now he's being hailed as some martyr for those who don't like the digital distribution model and/or Sony, the PSN, etc.

Maybe, but throwing a shit fit got him his $600 back.

Assuming he's telling the truth about Sony's customer service anyway.

We don't know what they've done to resolve things yet. Most likely he was just put in touch with the folks who actually are in charge of this kind of account issue which, again, is not a super uncommon occurence. If they were regularly capping refunds at $150, wiping past purchases, or some such, I feel people would be complaining all the time about this issue.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Scary stuff. I'll stick to the ColecoVision for now.

I should really go back to buying PSN cards with cash at a store.

I actually do this with the majority of my online purchases. I buy Amazon cards, PayPal cards, whatever. The fewer credit card transactions the better.

[dogman91]

I'm sure there's something in these digital download agreements where you don't explicitly "own" the software at all (yet, pay full retail price).

Unlike physical games... the only way I can think of to preserve digital-only games of today for 20+ years down the road is basically removing any DRM that ties the game to any online account, if it has any, if the publisher/game studio never does. Hooray for piracy.

Speaking of other such scenarios, would suck to see streamed-only games if high-speed internet required for such is prevalent in the future. Zero-chance for preservation.

[retrosportsgamer]

- If the user escalates the payment dispute with his bank, his account will be banned.

This sounds like complete bullshit.

While I'm sure Sony wants nothing to do with Visa/MasterCard or a financial institution coming at them for fraud, I can't believe this policy would exist.

And if this happens to anyone, the first thing you should do is go to your bank anyway.