Sony Fined AU$ 3.5 Million For Misleading Consumers

Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe oversees several branches of the PlayStation Support Center. It seems that their refund policy does not abide by Australia’s consumer laws. Due to this breach, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has ordered Sony to pay a fine of AU$ 3.5 million.

 

In a public statement from the ACCC, Australian consumers have the right to replace faulty products, including digital video games, or refund them fully in cash. Representatives at the PlayStation Support Center had claimed to at least five users that refunds could not be issued after 14 days had passed, and that any refund could only be store credit. Another rep had also said that refunds were at the discretion of game developers, not Sony themselves.

Sony’s terms of service were also scrutinized, having stated that consumers did not have a guarantee that digital games would always function or perform perfectly. The ACCC countered that digital products must follow the same laws as physical purchases.

Sony Europe has complied with the violation and has agreed to pay both the initial fine and legal costs incurred by the case.
 

Kurtis Seid, NoobFeed
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