Sony's Digital Refund Policy Takes a Welcome Step Forward

good news indeed.

see sony is not the most evil company out there as some people would claim these days on here...

I know this will sound crazy because Facebook but...

The refund policy for Oculus is top notch. If I've wanted a refund for ANY game played less than ten minutes (I think it's ten) I get the refund.

Every single time.

Sony needs to adapt that same policy.

I agree. This is a good step indeed. Waiting for the PSN ID changes. 🤞

Sweet.

That is a good step forward.

@SirRealDeal sounds like the Google Play policy. It would be good if Sony did that too, but this will be a small steps thing. The level of shovelware on mobiles and potentially vomit inducing experiences with Oculus are more in need of that sort of policy though.

@KingSimba I just read these same talking points on another site. vg24/7.

The last line in their article?

PSN name changes are non-refundable.

Maybe it's coming soon.

This is a very good improvement even if it could be a little more flexible. I think Steam allows you to play up to 2h.

@get2sammyb "Nothing is black and white" true, even EA is just black, no white.

Good change. Not adequate, but any progress toward an ideal is better than nothing.

I would love to see Steam's refund policy become the industry standard.

@roe It could be a thing.

I rarely leave my PS4 in standby, but do still use the store in a browser at work or on my phone.

Reasonable step. Going forward I'd say there needs to be a balance when determining what length of time someone will be able to play a game before receiving a refund.

We could potentially see a situation where people request a lot of refunds simply because they don't like something, rather than because a game is broken or defective (like Fallout 76 for example). Would it then be reasonable for Sony to say "hey, you're abusing this"? Further, although refunds should always be given when a game is defective, if someone played a game for 20 hours and then requested a refund, it would be reasonable to refuse on the basis that the customer accepted the defect.

@get2sammyb
Totally agree and unfortunately that applies to most discussion on the Internet. I believe in part because text doesn't translate the tone and removes a lot of the needed subtlety. That's why twitter is such a mess.

I got conned out of £50 and had the proof from PayPal that it was indeed a fraudulent purchase. I told Sony that I wanted the money back and they told me no chance despite the proof so I got PayPal to give me a chargeback. The lovely folks at Sony then locked my account and I could only play games from disks, including playing my digital games on other accounts through the same console. I had to pay the £50 back to them so they held me to ransom even though I was the one that got scammed. Don’t get me wrong, I like my PS4 but Sony are just as much a soulless corporation as the lot of them.

It makes sense. If you haven't attempted to download the game, then its like returning a 'sealed' physical game back to the store within 14days. Even an opened one can mean that someone has used some of codes (the 14days free PS+ for example).

You should be able to cancel any pre-order before release and be refunded and, if you haven't started to download, I see absolutely no problem with being able to cancel.

What other digital stores do is of no concern. You opted to go with Sony, opted to pre-order a digital game and must have signed up to their Terms and Conditions. If other digital stores let you play an hour or two, then that's their policy. They don't have to let you play a couple of hours. Its a grey area and certainly down to the retailer to a degree - as long as conforms to the trading Law in the country. If not, then people have a right to demand the minimum required buyer protection.

@JJ2 Nah, I don't think that's the reason. Some people are so full of themselves that they are unable to entertain the possibility that they may be completely or, more likely, partially wrong.

@naruball
Yea there's also the need to be validated publicly which is somehow related. That makes it 'important' to seem to be 'right'. Most of the time right and wrong are very blurry haha

I never understood expecting a refund after you play. I know steam allows 2 hrs for most titles. Any brick and mortar isnt giving a full refund for games you've opened and played (maybe exceptions for people that really lose their sh*t). I do like being able to have thos option. I regret Loading Human immensely and almost didn't give it a try. Knowing i could have got my money back....still going to be a rare instance anyone utilizes this unless they fat finger a purchase. Which is hard to do because you essentially have to accept your mistake twice before it goes through lol

@Nyne11Tyme Gamestop did me a solid one time.

One time.

GTA V. I had it for almost a month. Purchased day one. I manage a restaurant & don't have the time others have. Game was broken at launch. Guy was very nice about it & gave me full refund.

So there's one good Gamestop story out there.

One.

not good enough, what happens if you start the game up and it's broken? or the game is really awful? still no refunds in that situation.

@Neolit in the EU it's a legal requirement and they have to abide for that, which is the reason recently ninetdno have got into trouble for not providing a way to refund.

@get2sammyb I'm okay with civil and rational criticism,but my reaction was pointed towards the over dramatic criticism at Sony in some articles,the ones that just blow stuff out of proportion all the time.

not an issue for me, i buy almost nothing from psn, and never linked my card to my playstation wallet. i only ever fund it using codes bought from other sources.

@JJ2 exactly.

@huyi the same thing that happens when you go to the cinema and the movie is (in your opinion) awful. Or when you order a drink and you end up not liking it.

Tough.

@get2sammyb
For me the article about the devs who supposedly said Sony 'lied' about crossplay did just that

@jdv95
I think theres a time for opinion articles and a time for informative articles. The press tend to dismiss the difference. People dont always need to be told what to think, I hope so anyway. That goes for reviews too but its a much more debatable view haha

Don't get your hopes up about Sony's refund policy. As more service based games release in a broken state and more people request a refund for their digital purchase Sony will cut this refund crap real quick. Another reason why buying physical is preferable over digital, if a game is terrible I can return it for a full refund or trade it and get some of my money back, not that I would make a mistake like buying Anthem or FO76 because those games were waving red flags all over the place as being terrible.

@huyi
'Digital content that you have started downloading or streaming, and in-game consumables that have been delivered, are not eligible for a refund unless the content is faulty.'

So theres room for the definition of 'faulty'

I thought this was already a thing! Maybe it's just Steam and I'm confusing the two.

@Rhaoulos I'm pretty sure they're turd brown

A progress but I hope sony will make refund policy like steam, where we can play at least 2 hours before refunding the games.

Here in Germany, Sony and Nintendo were exposed by the law, that prohibited selling digital goods without the chance to refund/cancel. Maybe that was also reason why Sony had to take this step. :/

Cannot believe the amount of muppets on here commending Sony for what should be standard policy in this day and age.

Better make sure that your auto updates and downloads are turned off though.

@Nyne11Tyme It's because we don't get demos any more. It allows Steam users to try the game out.

@nessisonett Agreed and that is some disgusting business practices. That would have finished me ever dealing with them again if I were you. I mostly game on PC now thank goodness. I just keep my Pro for the occasional Sony exclusive.

I don't see how that's an improvement. In what instance would one purchase a game and not downloading/ play it after?

In the world where I purchase Skyrim and play it. I will only realize how garbage is by playing it. I think it would be better to keep that and add if you played/ downloaded the game, you have 48 hours to apply for a refund with a critical reason.

@JJ2 You its flipping a switch and then they needed time to make it work. 😁

@Callmegil Now you can wait for the reviews and get all the extra stuff. 😋

@get2sammyb lot's of articles tbh.

take the one about detroit going to pc for example.

there are some comments on there that are just being dramatic for the sake of it. (some even saying that shawn layden should step down from his position)

again i don't want to dismiss criticism towards sony when needed but some people should learn to chill a bit when it comes to outing that criticism.

Darn, i want to get a refund on the new horror game SON. Im mot far into it at all but i already know its garbage. What a waste of $30

@jdv95
I think people voicing criticism, even unfair or way over the top, is fair enough. After all any opinion is allowed. However, it's when they attack people who are moderate or supportive of PlayStation (on various topics) that s not acceptable. Giving people a fanboy label and therefore dismissing whatever opinion they have is not acceptable.
On the other hand, I've always felt Pushsquare can easily be influenced into a negative opinion possibly because they don't want to show they love PlayStation too much.

@GBMatthew Calm down muppet i dont buy digital. Steam rips of the developers so what dont hear anybody talk about that. 😉

@JJ2 I don't understand how calling others names is acceptable. What is the moderation for anyway?

This is a great change, but it should have been this way from the start. I will still give Sony credit for coming around to something more consumer friendly.

@Ralizah 100% this comment

@Flaming_Kaiser Get some education.

@Callmegil
Sure. It's still an improvement. Typically it's for pre orders that you buy but don't download straightaway I figure, which then also works for any game. Baby steps but some valuable improvement nonetheless.
Also interesting if you made a mistake buying the wrong game, especially for casual users.

Edit
It's important that it says it also works for faulty games even if they are indeed downloaded.

@get2sammyb this is the largest issue. It’s clearly all the three major console companies have areas they get right and areas they get wrong. Being a “fan” of one and defending them to the hilt makes no sense at all. Embrace the good but highlight the bad. This is especially important when approaching a new gen.... people are far to quick to attack anyone that says a bad word about Sony and defend even the most ridiculous decision.

For me this refund policy is a step in right direction but miles from where it needs to be but good on Sony for taking the first step

Very cool. This will put pressure on Nintendo to get in line.

Not being able to cancel a pre-order was especially crazy.