So, I've had my PS3 for about a month now (finally gave up on my 360, which had major hardware problems...big surprise there), and I have been wanting to get my hands on some of the DLC in the PSN Store.
One of the coolest things about the PSN Store is that it uses real money transactions, not a convoluted points system that makes you pay more for something than it actually costs (for example, on the 360, to buy 100 point DLC, you HAVE to buy at least 500 points, so your $0.80 purchase just became $6.50). That was refreshing to me, and I was excited to buy some Rock Band DLC and Burnout Paradise...
...that was until I tried to input my credit card into the PS3. From there, the madness ensued.
When I try putting in my credit card information, exactly as it is printed on my banking statement, it always rejects it. I've tried it at least fifteen times with different combinations to no success. It never accepts my completely valid credit card information, no matter how many times I try.
...but, it doesn't seem to have any problem at all charging my checking account when I attempt to register the card. Every time I try to register it, the system charges my account $1. I know this is just a check to see that the account is valid, so I will get the money back, but despite the fact that the PSN Store is completely capable of seeing my account and charging money to it, the network cannot accept that my credit card information, taken directly from my banking statement, is valid.
Frustrated, I called Sony's support line to see if I could get some answers. This was an eye-opening experience to say the least.
The customer service rep, obviously reading from a script, told me that the address on the credit card cannot include an apartment number. Even if you live in an apartment, nope, it can't have an apartment number.
.........................what!?!?!?!?
Like tens of millions of other people in this country, I live in an apartment. I don't have a problem with it, honestly, but Sony seems to.
I've had no problems registering my account with other online merchants (Amazon and such) or even other gaming consoles (sorry to say it, but the 360 accepted my apartment number just fine), but for some reason it is utterly impossible for the PS3 to accept that I live in an apartment.
(for the record, I've also tried inputting my address without my apartment number, as the "customer service" person suggested. No surprise, it doesn't work....mainly because IT'S NOT MY ADDRESS!!!)
The "helpful" customer service rep said that my only option was to buy the pre-paid cards at a store. Cards that start at $20. Now, I do realize that I get $20 in credit on the store when I buy a card, but I really don't want to be forced to spend $20 when I just want to buy 2 Rock Band songs for $4. I also do not want to be forced to plop down $50 for a card so I can buy Burnout Paradise.
I cannot even begin to explain how absurd Sony's policy is on this. I have never encountered another company who has had a problem with me living in an apartment.
By the way, I've tried inputting more combinations of my address into the PS3 this morning, and it is still telling me my account information is invalid, and that I should contact technical support....umm, no thanks...technical support was utterly useless before.
I absolutely love my PS3. I think it's the best gaming console out there, and I would love to experience some of the DLC...but the draconian methods of the PSN Store's address verification won't let me do this.
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So, I guess with that venting over...can anyone help me out? The customer service rep was absolutely useless, so I'm coming to you guys to see if there are any workarounds that don't involve me going to the store and buying a card. I'm sure that I am not the first person to encounter this problem, so there must be workarounds.
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