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

This was completely overblown, if you read the transcript with the help desk he even states that they can give a maximum refund of $150 into the wallet. He proceeds to say he needs the transactions reversed, and the support says ok, and several lines later, it will take time for the changes to post to the BANK.

Obviously this is a knee jerk reaction to the refund solution, not the second solution. It infuriating dealing with someone reading from a script but you need to get through all of it first.

Well in an effort to stop the mindless bickering here (I know, fat chance right???), here is an update from the actual Reddit page:

"I received a call from an Escalation Analyst at Sony today! He let me know that they had performed an investigation regarding my account, and concluded that my credentials had become compromised. The IP was traced to somewhere in Europe (he didn't specify). He let me know that Sony would make sure that my account was taken care of. He also assured me that the Sony HQ had been made aware of my situation, and that they'll be examining the details to see if there ought to be a change to their policies. "

So, apparently Sony realized how much PR backlash they're getting and "escalated" the problem. Whether you love or hate Reddit, you can't deny its power for public exposure.

I've had my own run-ins with dumb Sony support (and many other companies for that matter). It's not uncommon for there to be ignorance in support personnel (ESPECIALLY at lower levels). But, typically if you scream loud enough (this time via Reddit backlash), they typically come to grips with the gravity of the situation. I'm just glad this guy was actually able to get someone higher up to objectively look at the situation rather than being stuck with half-assed "solutions" to the problem.

There are lots of things about this story that don't ring true. But who am I to question Gamespot's investigation.

**** You SONY!

The story is weird because i have my ps3 and 2 ps4 linked to the same account and didnt have any problem to link the 3 accounts so the guy is lying because probably he did the same over and over again claiming my account was hacked i want a refund from sony and after that he will complain to the bank.

That doesnt look like a big deal but the problem is the guy downloaded 600 dollars in contents he wanted a refund from sony of 600 dollars and he was about to go to the bank claiming a hacked account in wich case he would end with 600 dollars games for free and he was xpecting sony would refund him 600 dollars for nothing but when sony mention the banning he got scared and started saying "can i at least get the games from the hacked account" wich obviously is weird because he was trying to get the games again and he sold the other ps4

I think the reddit user is lying. His posts are extremely cheesy. He doesn't provide any proof and he doesn't understand the policies.

First of all, there was nothing wrong with Sony's policies regarding the incident. The Sony rep did exactly what they're supposed to do with a person who calls, claiming their account was stolen with no proof.

This guy could've purchased $600 worth of content on a PS4 and then moved his account to a new PS4 just to get a refund. The reason why the Sony rep stated that they would ban his account if he went to the bank is simply because if Sony had to refund $600 and the guy still had his games he would be getting $600 worth of free content. So his comment about policies doesn't make sense.

Then Kadjar conveniently updated his reddit post claiming that Sony is giving him his account back which means the investigation wasn't done before. This contradicts what he posted earlier.

He's lying or Sony simply changed his account back to the original PS4 it was on because they did an investigation or simply to avoid the drama. I also think he is lying because he could be trying to get Sony to help him steal an account. That is why Sony has these policies in the first place as well as every other company. An IP address doesn't confirm that his account was comprimised and it doesn't rule out the possibility that he could be the one trying to steal the account.

I would get the refund from my bank, have my accont banned, sell my PS4 and buy an X-Box One....just because of poor customer service

I can't believe that I came back here and still I find desperate Xbox fanboys trying to use this as a way to desperately make Microsoft look good despite the fact that this happens on Xbox Live and Microsoft does this exact same thing. Microsoft's customer service reps are the same. They don't have the authority to do everything. They're simply people answering phones. They can't give out $600 just because someone calls and complains about an account that may or may not have been stolen.

I also find it hilarious how anyone could say Microsoft has great customer service despite the fact that Microsoft lost a lawsuit because they refused to offer refunds to people who had bricked Xbox 360s due to the RROD which Microsoft knew about and launched anyways.

Ouch, not cool Sony, not cool.

Though personally, I bet this is an issue of him being forced to talk to some low-level customer service peon who isn't allowed to deviate from the script and was never meant for such extreme cases.

In any case though, Sony will probably be forced to relent now that it made news and will be a PR nightmare. Though I would hope that isn't the only reason they would relent.

And that's mainly why I've always been with Microsoft. Proud owner of an original Xbox, a 360, and Xbox One, and I've never ever had a problem. Their customer service is professional. Not to mention Sony's servers have a notorious history of cyber attacks, and hackers break through their system seemingly so easily. Their system is just that vulnerable.

I will never buy a Sony console. They might have some good exclusives, but so does the Xbox. There will always be unhappy gamers in both parties. Both the PS4 and the Xbox One are equally powerful and unique, but I feel safer with Microsoft.

I have like 6 games I bought thru PSN and this article made me realize thats the last purchase from there. From now on I'll buy only physical copies and might not re-subscribe my PSN Plus if they dont change their policies. This is ridiculous

Sony is acting like gangsters and siding with criminal hackers? This just made up my mind, I was going to buy a PS4 for the upcoming game, Bloodborne. But nothing is worth getting my account hack and money stolen. I bet Sony loses more than they gain by this decision.

Those five bullets, lol...

Wow, Sony sucks.

Don't gameshare with stranger.

Switch to Xbox, Microsoft is more understandable. Sony doesn't like Americans.

I had a similar experience, though only one game was bought using my account. I talked to them on both phone and through numerous emails, and never got a refund.

Like some others said, it might be helpful if you clarified the fact that it seems Sony has/plans to sort this all out. The fact that 'Malcolm' even mentioned the account ban policy was to warn the Reddit OP against going through his bank to cancel the charges. You're clear about the minor mistakes Sony made, but not the fact that they ended up taking care of the problem, seemingly within 24 hours.