Australian court orders Sony to pay $2,4 million for refusing to refund PS Store games

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) won legal battle against the European division of Sony Interactive Entertainment, started in May 2019. The company will pay a fine of $2,4 million (3,5 million Australian dollars) for refusing to refund money for games with defects to four residents of the country.

The company refused to issue refunds to four gamers in Australia for games with flaws, citing PlayStation Store rules. In accordance with them, a refund for a game can only be made within 14 days from the date of purchase, if it has not yet been downloaded. ACCC has proven in court that such conditions violate Australian law.

According to ACCC Chairman Rod Sims, consumers are eligible to receive payment for a digital item after 14 days, or "as determined by the store or developer," after a transaction has been completed, including after a download. In addition, Sims accused Sony of misleading gamers. One of them was told by PlayStation Store employees that he was not entitled to make a return without "developers' approval", and the other was offered virtual currency instead of real money.

"Sony's claims are false and do not comply with Australian consumer law," Sims said. - Consumers have the right to receive a quality product in exchange for a defective one, the money spent on its purchase, or a service to correct problems. They cannot simply be redirected to the developer of that product. In addition, refunds must be made in real currency if the purchase was made in the same way, unless the consumer himself wishes to receive virtual currency.

Between October 2017 and May 2019, PlayStation Store policies stated that Sony does not provide users with any warranties relating to the "quality, performance and performance" of purchased digital games. Sims also called such conditions illegal. He noted that the same rules should apply for digital goods as for physical ones.

In 2016 ACCC won a similar case against Valve, which began in 2014, when Steam did not yet have a refund system. The company was fined $2 million. Valve appealed twice, but both were rejected (the second time it happened in 2018). June 1, 2020 Commission announced  that through the court forced the trading network EB Games Australia to return the money to buyers Fallout 76.

Source: 3dnews.ru