Sony has been hit with a fine in Australia for misleading customers about its refund policy.
In a statement on Friday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it fined Sony Europe 3.5 million Australian dollars ($2.4 million U.S.) for not giving refunds to customers for digital game purchases that players said were faulty. The ACCC also accused Sony of refusing to provide refunds to customers for games because they requested refunds more than 14 days after purchase.
Sony told one of those four customers that they would have to request a refund from the game’s publisher, rather than Sony itself. Furthermore, it told a fifth customer that it would only refund them in virtual PlayStation Network credit, rather than money. Between October 2017 and May 2019, Sony Europe’s terms of service implied that consumers had no guaranteed recourse regarding “the quality, functionality, completeness, accuracy or performance” of the software they downloaded.
All of these actions go against the ACL, meaning Sony Europe can be fined whether or not a company is headquartered in Australia is a moot point. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman, Rod Sims says, “Consumers who buy digital products online have exactly the same rights as they would if they made the purchase at a physical store.” $2.4 million sounds like a hefty fine, but hopefully this will lead Sony to better handle customer service.
