So earlier in the week I purchased Star Trek Bridge Crew and when I was trying out the tutorials I was unable to play because the camera kept "losing sight" of my controllers. I spent almost 45 minutes readjusting the camera and making sure that if I reached everything stayed in frame, and all my other VR games have no issues with losing tracking.
After contacting support they seemed to agree the only other option as far as troubleshooting was to try a bigger room which I do not have the ability to do. The rep told me that as I couldn't literally get a new house to try this in he would be issuing a refund for the game. I asked if it would be processed in time for me to take advantage of the current sales ending the 20th, along with if I would have it in time to count towards the spend $100 get $15 as that was literally the only reason I even bought Bridge Crew and a year of Ps plus, because $50 doesn't seem worth it for a year of plus but $35 sounded good, and I was fine paying $50 for bridge crew as physical copies are $60 from what I've seen.
I was assured that it wouldn't be an issue and it takes 3-5 days to refund me store credit (which let's be honest here makes zero sense at all. Over the course of this they generated a $10 and $20 code on the spot "for the inconveniences I've experienced" but they can't just refund a game that support agrees doesn't work due to my room size which isnt listed anywhere in the game page?). Few days go by and I noticed that bridge crew is still listed as ready to install again and I tried to see if it was just an error and it would tell me I need to own the game. It didn't, so I immediately contacted support again asking them if they could verify the refund status as the license hadn't been revoked yet and I wanted to make sure. I was told this time that the previous rep was incorrect and it was in review for a refund, but because I attempted to launch it the chances of it being denied are high.
I explained that I hadn't played the game, and if they checked the log from the last chat they would see that we literally went through troubleshooting steps to verify it was broken. I asked to speak to a manager as I wasn't exactly happy to hear that the refund I was told I was getting not only wasn't actually approved when I was told it had been but that now I'm being told it will most likely be rejected. The manager told me that they could assure me the information sent with the refund request would be sufficient to get it approved. I asked why it couldn't just be processed on the spot if they were so sure it would be approved, and was offered a $10 credit. I told him that was honestly a little insulting considering the context of this, as it felt like he just wanted me to shut up. I was told nothing more could be done or offered and if I wanted to take them up on the $10 to contact support, and proceeded to disconnect chat while I was actively asking to be escalated again.
I connect again and say I'm contacting in regards to how the previous manager disconnected me while I was literally asking to be escalated as "nothing more can be said" this manager repeated the same thing and proceeded to ALSO disconnect me while I requested escalation.
I posted the chat logs on both the Sony Facebook page and the PS4 page. They suggested I contact chat support and gave me a link which my phone wouldn't even allow me to open because of an issue with their security certificate.
I connected a third time and basically the same thing again. So the next day I try calling them while coming home from work as I have a bit of a drive anyway. During the call despite having THREE managers prior to this tell me that nothing more can be offered past a $10 credit, I was offered a copy of Horizon (which I pre-ordered THROUGH MY SYSTEM and even got the deluxe edition for the extra $10) or Uncharted 4 which I got through their employee rewards program while I worked at GameStop. So obviously I didn't accept either offer, but questioned how so many managers could have outright refused to escalate this as they were convinced there was no other possible offer, when clearly there was in fact another offer available had they actually escalated it. l asked how the maximum offer of compensation went from a $10 voucher to a physical copy of a game retailing for $60. They said because they published the game they would just be sending back stock that doesnt cost them anything. That's literally telling me they're only willing to compensate me with something that doesn't cost them anything when it was their employees professionalism that caused this to begin with.
After telling them I already have both of those, and that if they had even bothered checking my account they would know that, they went back to the $10 offer which I told them I would take but will still be contacting support until a real offer is made because offering $10 to convince somebody who's PSN is linked to a PS3, limited edition PS4, limited edition Vita, a PSVR and over 200 purchased products on the account not counting physical games is an insulting joke, especially when the only thing I've asked of them is to refund me for a game I cannot play in time to take advantage of a sale they're running, which will inevitably end with me spending more money out of pocket anyway. I also requested multiple vouchers to at least make up for each manager that disconnected me if $10 is the most they can offer and was told the system prevents them from generating more than one code per account and the amount is locked.
Literally minutes after accepting the $10 voucher code, I got an email saying my refund was denied. So I got right back on the chat and they told me it was because Hotline Miami had been refunded in the past so they couldn't issue another refund as refunds are bending their rules and they had already done it for a similar situation. (I'd like to take a moment and note that Microsoft literally gave me $40 in credit because Friday the 13th didn't work at launch, and I purchased it through Kickstarter not Microsoft.) The thing about Hotline is I didnt ask for a refund, it went on sale literally hours after I bought it and I asked if they could price match me the difference back to the wallet, and they decided to entirely refund the game, if I remember right it wasn't even an option presented they just came back and said they did it. Not quite the same as a game physically being unplayable after doing the troubleshooting steps.
The guy told me he noted all of that and resubmitted the claim for me. The next morning I called support again to complain about how at this point I've had to contact them 5 times now counting the current call and that multiple managers have disconnected me insisting that there is no possible escalation or further resolution available to offer me even though almost each time I call in they manage to be able to offer more. During the course of this call i was offered a $20 voucher. I questioned how that could be when literally the previous day I was told not only is $10 the most that can be offered (at one point a rep even said that's the most they can AFFORD to offer) and on top of that the codes supposedly can only be generated once per account. They told me they apologize for the inconsistency in communication but they can offer me $20. I repeated from my last chat that I think it's only fair Sony pays out for each manager who disconnected me as I've had to contact them now 5 times and still do not even have a garuanteed refund coming to me, but because of it being denied I DO know for sure I won't be able to take advantage of the $15 for $100 which was the only reason I even bought it in the first place.
I was promised that the information submitted with the refund would ensure it will be refunded in 3-5 days. Still no answer on how they can generate $30 on the spot but one more $20 code which would bring it to the amount I'm asking to be refunded to credit. Now I'm sitting here waiting to get another rejection email because I really don't believe they care about any of the information submitted.
And yes, I realize the $30 is more than the $15 I lost out on, at this point it isn't about the money it's about how this isn't remotely close to acceptable levels of service. I shouldn't have to ask twice to have a refund processed after the support team came to the conclusion with me that the game is unplayable.
I'm really not sure why I haven't just charged back the game AND the plus, just sell all of this shit and put it towards buying a PC or One X. It's clear Sony doesn't care about retaining customers, I want to believe not everybody working for Sony is like this but it's been pretty consistent. At no point did I feel like I was getting customer service, I felt like I was being given a run around. I was literally told to physically write in if I wanted to complain because they wouldn't escalate me. Hell one person said they couldn't escalate me because "you've already spoken to most of the supervisors available". I find it hard to believe that in 5 calls I spoke to "most of the supervisors" on staff.
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