PS3: It Does Everything But Customer Service

I have just been told by Sony that in order to fix my Playstation 3, I will have to pay another $150. This is the second time my PS3 has malfunctioned (first time was yellow light of death and this time it flashes red at startup). t was well-ventilated and very well-treated.

Now let me state that I have been a loyal Sony customer for over a decade now, owning a PS1, PS2, and now a PS3. I have never owned a competitor's console. But this stingy one year warranty by Sony is single-handedly crumbling my faith in Sony. I can't pay the cost of a new Playstation every three years. It's great that the PSN is free but doing the math out I am paying $70 a year in repair costs, more than an entire year of Xbox Live. And taking into account Sony's visionary "ten-year lifecycle" I will be completely out of money by the end of this generation.

I also believe that Sony is not being completely honest about how frequently Playstation 3's fail. I remember reading a number they released that hovered around 0.5% and I just can't believe this is true. I read about dozens of people yesterday (and only searched for ten minutes) who have the exact same problem as me with the flashing red light or the yellow light of death. But their plea for help is only returned with "troll" or "liar" or "your console is one in a billion."

So I am at a crossroads and unsure what my next move should be. I really don't want to pay another $150 and not even know if one year and a month from now, the PS3 will break again. My hat is off to the Xbox 360 because though close to one in three break, Microsoft honors their three year warranty without question. I just wish Sony would offer the same plan to their customers before they start losing them.

I guess the point of this post is a combination of things. If anyone has any cheaper alternatives, please let me know. Sony did offer an upgrade to the slim system for $120, but I am unsure if the slim is actually better than the near-launch fat model I own (does the slim have 4 usb ports?). My other point is to give people the benefit of the doubt when they say that their PS3 is broken, because it happens more than you might think.

Thank you for any comments or feedback.

Wow, long post. As you said, it is more common than Sony wants it to be. My launch 60GB phat broke last July, and when I rung up sony, they told me repair would be £140 (think yourself lucky, because my repair is equivilent to $203! Naturally I thought this was a rip off, but I did not have the money to buy a new ps3. Then the slim got announced only a few weeks later at a lower price, and I instantly preordered. I have to say, the slim is a great improvement over the phat. Not only is it more reliable, quieter, and uses less power, but its also cheaper and lighter too. The slim does not have backwards compatability though, and it has only 2 USB ports. If you only have to pay $120 for a slim, I would say that is easily worth it. Is that a refurbished slim or a new one?

That is a good question. The Customer Service Rep did not say, but I think it is new. The backwards compatibility removal is not that important to me but the lack of USB ports would make Rock Band 3 a pain :P

And does the Slim use the exact same hard drive? And if I were to put my hard drive into the slim, would it be able to read everything that is on it?

That is a good question. The Customer Service Rep did not say, but I think it is new. The backwards compatibility removal is not that important to me but the lack of USB ports would make Rock Band 3 a pain :P

Lord_Mango_Jr

Hmm, you could get USB adaptors quite cheaply, obviously that wouldn't look all that nice, but then again, I don't think it would matter too much if you got wires trailing anyway! I think it is certainly a much better option to spend $120 on a slim rather than $150 getting your phat repaired. Apart from anything, the slim being more reliable should guarantee a longer life out of it. Just my opinion. But if I was in your situation (which I was only a few months ago, except they never offered me a cheap slim!), then I would get the slim

And does the Slim use the exact same hard drive? And if I were to put my hard drive into the slim, would it be able to read everything that is on it?

Lord_Mango_Jr

That is a very good question. Yes the slim can use the exact hard drive, its simple to change hard drives... but unfortunately I think you may lose your current data forever on your hard drive as the slim will want to reformat the hard drive before it is used :(

During my research on defective PS3s, I have also come across a recurring theory that the 'cooling material' that coats the motherboard on phat systems slowly melts away during use and that most phat PS3's will eventually stop working between two and five years from their manufacture date.

Does the slim model have a better track record when it comes to problems?

Well I don't know dood. I still have my 40Gb edition ever since the launch date (with receipt) and I found that should I find myself in any trouble at all I could do some manual reballing at some specialized shop. I'm not a fan myself but I had some mods to the console, such as a skin, which I believe it was bad from the beginning, and had some 'holes' done in under the fan(meaning right under the bottom) and... no problems until now, though I don't use it more than 3-5 hours a day and that's in like 1 hour sessions with 1 hour break or more(on saturday and sundays, as the rest of the week I barely get 1-3 hours after I get home from work).

Well the thing is that Customer Service at Sony is better than the one at M$. After 3 years with a jasper you say hello to a new white brick as a decoration. At least here you can send it back after your warranty.

I figured that my data on the hard drive would be lost. But there isn't anything keeping me from backing it up to an external (except the copy-protected stuff) and copying back on to the slim, correct?

During my research on defective PS3s, I have also come across a recurring theory that the 'cooling material' that coats the motherboard on phat systems slowly melts away during use and that most phat PS3's will eventually stop working between two and five years from their manufacture date.

Does the slim model have a better track record when it comes to problems?

Lord_Mango_Jr

I read that as well about ps3s.

I am yet to hear about faults on the slim at all actually, but then again, the slim is only a few months old and I havn't specifically been looking for faults on the slim! I personally have had no faults with mine (I have had it since launch now and it has been used for 10 hours straight before, on more than one occasion).

You do of course have another option, you could try and repair the ps3 yourself. This could be done very cheaply at home, but you will void any warranty, and Sony may refuse to repair it once it has been taken apart

During my research on defective PS3s, I have also come across a recurring theory that the 'cooling material' that coats the motherboard on phat systems slowly melts away during use and that most phat PS3's will eventually stop working between two and five years from their manufacture date.

Does the slim model have a better track record when it comes to problems?

Lord_Mango_Jr

I figured that my data on the hard drive would be lost. But there isn't anything keeping me from backing it up to an external (except the copy-protected stuff) and copying back on to the slim, correct?

Lord_Mango_Jr

That is correct yes. Though be warned. You can copy across everything, however, any games you are working on trophies for, you will most likely need to start a new game to get any further trophies on that game.

Well the thing is that Customer Service at Sony is better than the one at M$. After 3 years with a jasper you say hello to a new white brick as a decoration. At least here you can send it back after your warranty.

MacenKrace

That is an interesting point. I did not know that Microsoft did not accept out of warranty repairs. Perhaps they should combine customer service centers so that gamers get a 3 year warranty and can still repair their console out of warranty. Maybe that will be the big E3 announcement. Just kidding.

Is there any way to deauthorize an account on a PS3 from a computer? Because my PS3 can't reach the XMB in its current condition.

Is there any way to deauthorize an account on a PS3 from a computer? Because my PS3 can't reach the XMB in its current condition.

Lord_Mango_Jr

Is there any way to deauthorize an account on a PS3 from a computer? Because my PS3 can't reach the XMB in its current condition.

Lord_Mango_Jr

I am afraid I cannot answer that. It is a question I would like the answer for also. I believe reformatting the original hard drive would be enough (I believe profiles are kept on the ps3, but PSN IDs and credit card details etc are stored on the hard drive; but I am not certain)

Well when my PS3 broke the first time, I had to make another account because my old PS3 was "authorized" and therefore I could not download any video content to my new PS3 (they are only allowed to be downloaded to one system). However, I think I remember now that you can call Sony and get it deauthorized, but I think it takes a while (you must be transferred to Sony's engineering department because Customer Service can't do it).

The CSRs were complete idiots when I had my YLOD. They didn't even know what I was talking about, or even what country I was in for that matter! It was $190 and a huge hassle that was more than it's worth. After paying $725 a year and ten months before hand.

I don't this whole "loyalty" crap, it's a consumer entertainment item. But either way, PS3 was the first console to ever flat out "quit" on me. Have had many different game consoles since the mid 80's.

Well when my PS3 broke the first time, I had to make another account because my old PS3 was "authorized" and therefore I could not download any video content to my new PS3 (they are only allowed to be downloaded to one system). However, I think I remember now that you can call Sony and get it deauthorized, but I think it takes a while (you must be transferred to Sony's engineering department because Customer Service can't do it).

Lord_Mango_Jr

The CSRs were complete idiots when I had my YLOD. They didn't even know what I was talking about, or even what country I was in for that matter! It was $190 and a huge hassle that was more than it's worth. After paying $725 a year and ten months before hand.

I don't this whole "loyalty" crap, it's a consumer entertainment item. But either way, PS3 was the first console to ever flat out "quit" on me. Have had many different game consoles since the mid 80's.

Denji

What Country are you in? Im guessing they are not US $?

And yeah, its a shame that companies have forgotten what reliability is. This generation has the least reliable machines of all previous generations

And yeah, its a shame that companies have forgotten what reliability is. This generation has the least reliable machines of all previous generations_Matt_

[QUOTE="Denji"]

The CSRs were complete idiots when I had my YLOD. They didn't even know what I was talking about, or even what country I was in for that matter! It was $190 and a huge hassle that was more than it's worth. After paying $725 a year and ten months before hand.

I don't this whole "loyalty" crap, it's a consumer entertainment item. But either way, PS3 was the first console to ever flat out "quit" on me. Have had many different game consoles since the mid 80's.

_Matt_

What Country are you in? Im guessing they are not US $?

And yeah, its a shame that companies have forgotten what reliability is. This generation has the least reliable machines of all previous generations

Canada. Three people told me three different things and was told to pay a US price via CC twice:lol: (I always make sure)

[QUOTE="_Matt_"]

[QUOTE="Denji"]

The CSRs were complete idiots when I had my YLOD. They didn't even know what I was talking about, or even what country I was in for that matter! It was $190 and a huge hassle that was more than it's worth. After paying $725 a year and ten months before hand.

I don't this whole "loyalty" crap, it's a consumer entertainment item. But either way, PS3 was the first console to ever flat out "quit" on me. Have had many different game consoles since the mid 80's.

Denji

What Country are you in? Im guessing they are not US $?

And yeah, its a shame that companies have forgotten what reliability is. This generation has the least reliable machines of all previous generations

Canada. Three people told me three different things and was told to pay a US price via CC twice:lol: (I always make sure)

Ah ok, that would explain it. I was going to say you would have been ripped off if you paid 725USD for a ps3. lol

And what aggravates me the most is when I call and ask why they don't offer a three year warranty, they tell me its because their systems almost never fail. By that logic, Sony should be able to offer a three year warranty because they almost never have to fix anything. When they announced the extended warranties on the Playstation Blog it was a start, but of course the consoles that are most prone to breaking do not qualify for the extended warranty (only PS3's bought in the last 90 days I think).

[QUOTE="_Matt_"]And yeah, its a shame that companies have forgotten what reliability is. This generation has the least reliable machines of all previous generationsemitsu97

Very true. And I think that is why consoles this generation are less reliable. Microsoft and Sony have cut corners in order to offer advanced hardware at a reasonable price.

And what aggravates me the most is when I call and ask why they don't offer a three year warranty, they tell me its because their systems almost never fail. By that logic, Sony should be able to offer a three year warranty because they almost never have to fix anything. When they announced the extended warranties on the Playstation Blog it was a start, but of course the consoles that are most prone to breaking do not qualify for the extended warranty (only PS3's bought in the last 90 days I think).

Lord_Mango_Jr

Yeah, its called business during the current economical situation- there is no logic!

Yeah, its called business during the current economical situation- there is no logic!

_Matt_

I don't think it has much to do with the economic crisis. This has been their policy since the PS3 launched. And Sony has one of the strongest brand names synonymous with quality, and I feel they have a lot to lose by having a stingy warranty and relatively unhelpful customer service.

[QUOTE="_Matt_"]

Yeah, its called business during the current economical situation- there is no logic!

Lord_Mango_Jr

I don't think it has much to do with the economic crisis. This has been their policy since the PS3 launched. And Sony has one of the strongest brand names synonymous with quality, and I feel they have a lot to lose by having a stingy warranty and relatively unhelpful customer service.

So have you come to any conclusions regarding your situation yet?

So have you come to any conclusions regarding your situation yet?

_Matt_

I can't turn my back on my Playstation, even if I'm forking over enough for a second one. Begrudgingly, I have decided to pay the $120 and upgrade to the Slim. I have to wait for my summer job earnings though, so I will be without a working PS3 for a month and a week. No Modnation Racers, we cannot race today. And I'm sorry John Marston, but there will be no hunting down outlaws today.

At least E3 is coming up to remind me why I bought the PS3 in the first place :P

Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion. Here's to hoping that Sony sorts out their Customer Service.

[QUOTE="_Matt_"]

So have you come to any conclusions regarding your situation yet?

Lord_Mango_Jr

I can't turn my back on my Playstation, even if I'm forking over enough for a second one. Begrudgingly, I have decided to pay the $120 and upgrade to the Slim. I have to wait for my summer job earnings though, so I will be without a working PS3 for a month and a week. No Modnation Racers, we cannot race today. And I'm sorry John Marston, but there will be no hunting down outlaws today.

At least E3 is coming up to remind me why I bought the PS3 in the first place :P

Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion. Here's to hoping that Sony sorts out their Customer Service.

I hope that I was of some help, and I hope you enjoy your slim when you get it. :)

And yeah, I am looking forward to Sony's e3, who knows, a cheaper slim may be announced? ;)

And yeah, I am looking forward to Sony's e3, who knows, a cheaper slim may be announced? ;)

_Matt_

Haha I doubt it but I like the idea. Maybe they will wheel out a giant statue they made out of all the broken PS3s they have lying around. And the statue would be holding a Move controller and wearing 3D glasses of course :P

I have just been told by Sony that in order to fix my Playstation 3, I will have to pay another $150. This is the second time my PS3 has malfunctioned (first time was yellow light of death and this time it flashes red at startup). t was well-ventilated and very well-treated.

Now let me state that I have been a loyal Sony customer for over a decade now, owning a PS1, PS2, and now a PS3. I have never owned a competitor's console. But this stingy one year warranty by Sony is single-handedly crumbling my faith in Sony. I can't pay the cost of a new Playstation every three years. It's great that the PSN is free but doing the math out I am paying $70 a year in repair costs, more than an entire year of Xbox Live. And taking into account Sony's visionary "ten-year lifecycle" I will be completely out of money by the end of this generation.

I also believe that Sony is not being completely honest about how frequently Playstation 3's fail. I remember reading a number they released that hovered around 0.5% and I just can't believe this is true. I read about dozens of people yesterday (and only searched for ten minutes) who have the exact same problem as me with the flashing red light or the yellow light of death. But their plea for help is only returned with "troll" or "liar" or "your console is one in a billion."

So I am at a crossroads and unsure what my next move should be. I really don't want to pay another $150 and not even know if one year and a month from now, the PS3 will break again. My hat is off to the Xbox 360 because though close to one in three break, Microsoft honors their three year warranty without question. I just wish Sony would offer the same plan to their customers before they start losing them.

I guess the point of this post is a combination of things. If anyone has any cheaper alternatives, please let me know. Sony did offer an upgrade to the slim system for $120, but I am unsure if the slim is actually better than the near-launch fat model I own (does the slim have 4 usb ports?). My other point is to give people the benefit of the doubt when they say that their PS3 is broken, because it happens more than you might think.

Thank you for any comments or feedback.

Lord_Mango_Jr

[QUOTE="Lord_Mango_Jr"]

I have just been told by Sony that in order to fix my Playstation 3, I will have to pay another $150. This is the second time my PS3 has malfunctioned (first time was yellow light of death and this time it flashes red at startup). t was well-ventilated and very well-treated.

Now let me state that I have been a loyal Sony customer for over a decade now, owning a PS1, PS2, and now a PS3. I have never owned a competitor's console. But this stingy one year warranty by Sony is single-handedly crumbling my faith in Sony. I can't pay the cost of a new Playstation every three years. It's great that the PSN is free but doing the math out I am paying $70 a year in repair costs, more than an entire year of Xbox Live. And taking into account Sony's visionary "ten-year lifecycle" I will be completely out of money by the end of this generation.

I also believe that Sony is not being completely honest about how frequently Playstation 3's fail. I remember reading a number they released that hovered around 0.5% and I just can't believe this is true. I read about dozens of people yesterday (and only searched for ten minutes) who have the exact same problem as me with the flashing red light or the yellow light of death. But their plea for help is only returned with "troll" or "liar" or "your console is one in a billion."

So I am at a crossroads and unsure what my next move should be. I really don't want to pay another $150 and not even know if one year and a month from now, the PS3 will break again. My hat is off to the Xbox 360 because though close to one in three break, Microsoft honors their three year warranty without question. I just wish Sony would offer the same plan to their customers before they start losing them.

I guess the point of this post is a combination of things. If anyone has any cheaper alternatives, please let me know. Sony did offer an upgrade to the slim system for $120, but I am unsure if the slim is actually better than the near-launch fat model I own (does the slim have 4 usb ports?). My other point is to give people the benefit of the doubt when they say that their PS3 is broken, because it happens more than you might think.

Thank you for any comments or feedback.

frostybanana

......ouch

[QUOTE="Denji"]

[QUOTE="_Matt_"]

What Country are you in? Im guessing they are not US $?

And yeah, its a shame that companies have forgotten what reliability is. This generation has the least reliable machines of all previous generations

_Matt_

Canada. Three people told me three different things and was told to pay a US price via CC twice:lol: (I always make sure)

Ah ok, that would explain it. I was going to say you would have been ripped off if you paid 725USD for a ps3. lol

:lol: If that were the case. I could sue EB ;)

I'm with you 100% bro. I'm so fed up with Sony in terms of customer service. My first PS3 broke down and I paid the 150 to fix it. They gave me a 3 month warranty on the refurb they sent me back. Sure enough after the 3 months were up, it broke down again. This happened several more times. I also took very good care of my PS3. I made sure it was clean, well ventilated and unplugged all the other electronics in the area. Still they broke down over and over. All but one time did I have to pay the 150 to fix it. The last time it broke I was ready to switch to 360, however the Sony representative decided to be courteous for once and sent me another refurb for free. This refurb has been pain free for about a year and a half now, but I haven't forgotten about the hundreds of dollars I spent on the system.

frostybanana

This is what I mean. What are the odds of a PS3 breaking more than once? Obviously the fail rate must be above 4% or the odds would be astronomical against this happening. My guess is that there are many more people out there like frostybanana and I.

In fact, doing the math out, if the fail rate was indeed 4%, then the chance of a person having two broken PS3's is only 0.16%. And for three, it drops to 0.0064%.