This is an article that we've had on the backburner for a while now, but Microsoft has somewhat forced our hand. One of the big features on Steam for quite a while has been its ability to allow you to get a refund on digital purchases. The terms of service state that, as long as you don't abuse the system, you're eligible to request a refund on digital purchases assuming you haven't played for longer than two hours and the transaction occurred less than two weeks ago. Now it's emerged that the Xbox One (and Windows 10 store) will offer a similar initiative – though it doesn't extend to DLC as of yet.
And this is something that we've been pondering since the No Man's Sky debacle exploded last summer. It's perhaps worth stressing that refunds aren't unprecedented on the PlayStation Network: many have received their money back after contacting customer support because of buggy games or even those that don't meet a certain quality threshold. But the difference is that what Steam – and now Microsoft – are offering here is automated: you don't have to jump through any hoops to get a refund if you're eligible and not found to be abusing the system.
So, is this something that Sony should implement? Common sense states absolutely yes, as it removes consumer risk. But there are downsides: Firewatch – a game which can be completed in under two hours if you try – caused a bit of a moral storm last year when one individual pondered whether they should request a refund for the title despite enjoying it. Technically, that person was eligible for a refund, and could have got their money back without any abuse of the system – but is that the right thing to do? It's an interesting angle to the discussion, for sure.
For our money, we'd like to see digital refunds become a standard across all online platforms, and we'd like to think that people wouldn't game the system and ultimately screw developers out of the revenue they've worked to earn. The PSN may be creaky in some areas, but Sony does have the power to offer refunds, and so this functionality would just need to be worked into a more consumer-facing format to make it happen. But is this something you'd like to see the company pour effort into, or are you ambivalent when it comes to this topic?
Should Sony allow refunds on the PSN? (220 votes)
- Yes, refunds should be offered to mitigate consumer risk
- I'm not sure, it could be abused
- No, I honestly doubt I'd ever request a refund anyway
Please login to vote in this poll.
Comments 89
I think refunds should be added to the PSN and all digital platforms really. It really is the right thing to do from a consumer facing perspective, and while the Firewatch example in the article is interesting, you have to imagine the vast majority of people wouldn't game the system like that.
Having said that, on a personal level, I can't think of one time I've ever bought a game and wished I could get a refund. Many, many years ago I bought a PC game that wouldn't run and the store wouldn't give me the cash back for that, but it just made me realise that PC gaming wasn't for me and I'd stick with consoles that don't have compatibility issues.
So to conclude: yes I do think it should be an option; no I don't think I'd ever take advantage of it.
Depends on the game if you have a 2 hour window for small games i think it should not be done for bigger games who not. Then again a lot of games recovered after a bad launch Driveclub and No mans Sky is doing well with the new updates.
@Flaming_Kaiser Well, there'd be nothing stopping you from buying it again after the updates released.
I mean, there's a wider discussion here about pre-order culture and all sorts, but not everyone that plays on PS4 is reading reviews and websites like this to get the latest information about a game. They should be, but I'm not sure the fact they aren't should exclude them from a refund if a game isn't working or up to the standard that's advertised.
I've said this for some time, an automated refund system should have been implemented years ago. It's a good move on Microsoft's part, pity their more effective at creating services then their are at making exclusives.
I think one of the problems is that Sony, during the NMS debacle, did some stuff AFTER refunds were given.
Like being asses to customers via customer service, and even the locking of that purchase from an account.
Now if I'm imagining that, then cool, don't bite my head off.
But, should refunds exist. Yes. Duh. Especially since you get an email receipt they send you.
But above that, Sony needs a customer service overhaul. That's the primary problem that has to happen as well.
I'm always for something that is pro-consumer and think that any negatives of this could be negated by people being more willing to try out games they may not have risked money on otherwise.
As an aside, what is the law on refunds if you buy a game, but don't agree to the EULA? You have to get the game home (assuming you are buying it as a physical product) and open it before being asked to agree to the contract, but assuming you refuse it it should mean you are entitled to a refund.
@get2sammyb How about first they catch up to every other digital platform in the world and let us buy a game less than $5.00 without having to put $5 on our credit cards. Yes, cc have fees, but Steam, Android, Apple even Nintendo manage. Can you imagine if every 99c song purchase on iTunes required putting $5 into your account?
@rjejr Not relevant to the thread really, though, is it? (Although I appreciate your consistency beating this drum. It's been a good five years now.)
Of course refunds should be given. I have never asked for a digital psn refund but I also have a policy to not spend over $20 on a digital game ad that's on the high end. Most of my digital games average price is $5-12.
I think it's foolish to pay $60 for a digital game when prices drop so quickly plus you can't trade them in. Also physical copies shave off $12 from amazon prime and gamers club unlock from Best Buy for brand new games. You should never pay $60 for a game. Gamers club unlock(GCU)is $30 for 2 yrs. You get that money back so quickly with 10% off used games, games on the preorder list that gives you $10 store credit once you pick up preordered games( which are all AAA games) , money that is a store credit accumulated from purchases that goes towards games or any other store items, 10% extra towards trade ins and 4 times a yr a extra 50% added to the 10% trade ins.
It's a no brainer to those who don't like to waste money to avoid full price digital games. Flash sales on psn at 50-80% off are the only time when digital is more beneficial.
@Ewflex You can't get a full refund on a Blu-ray that's been unsealed, though, right? Like, you could trade it in, but you wouldn't get your full $60 back?
(I agree with you, just playing devil's advocate.)
I've said before it's a good idea, and has honestly saved me at the very least a hundred dollars on Steam with games i thought I would enjoy, played for a half hour, didn't click with me, and requested a refund.
That being said.....on PC i can't "rent" games like you can for consoles from redbox/local video store/gamefly, so on PS4 and X1 I'm more likely to borrow a friend's copy or rent a game for the weekend if I'm on the fence about it. Still, for those who are going digital, i'd say give them the option.
I voted no as a personal answer. If I'm buying a game digitally, especially a big title, then I've researched it enough to do so. I did purchase NMS digitally but requested and got my refund before the game was released, opting instead to buy it physically.
People will try to take advantage of these things. Treating them as 2hr demos and expecting a refund every time will grate quite a bit.
If it helps customer relations then so be it but for me personally, I doubt I'd ever need one after buying and playing the game itself. (I didn't play NMS)
@get2sammyb
I am not sure about the blu ray policy. I was told if you pay ins on video games which are a few bucks you get full refund if you open package. But I am not sure if it's the same policy for movies. I don't buy movies anymore. I am not the type to watch the same movie 20 times. I watch movies from amazon prime since I already have prime for discounts on purchases and guaranteed 2 day shipping. The movies on prime are older so if I want to see a newly released movie I get it from Redbox for $3 as a hd version movie per daily rental. On a very slim occasion I pay $6 on psn for the HD version movie. I only do that if the movie isn't already available on red box. It's a extremely rare occasion if I go to the theatre to pay $10-20 for a movie. I mever eat the over priced cholesterol filled popcorn and corn fructose inducing sodas and candy.
What I am saying is you wont have buyers remorse if you are careful how much you spend on digital games.
Yep. Works great on Steam. Works great in the Google Play Store.
I also forgot to mention that if people use the excuse that they have to buy digital since they are too far from the box stores then that is bogus. If you buy a game from amazon prime and Best Buy. You will get the game most of the times shipped and arrived to your home earlier than when you can play a midnight digital prelaunch game. I have gotten games 2 days earlier than the release date from amazon and Best Buy.
Every company should look to do things that are consumer friendly. The tricky part will be putting in a system that is hard for people to abuse but Sony should definitely have a refund system. Should've had one years ago.
Too many people will abuse it - especially if you can get the trophies then get a refund on short games (unless the trophies are removed - as some people will do this).
I always wanted them to do what the greenamgaming PC store front (old application they used for non-steam games) used to do before it shut down - on that you had your games then if you wanted, you could 'trade' them back in for credit and the game licence would be removed so you can no longer play the game but you got some money back to spend on other games. I have a load of digital games that I have completed and will probably never re-install, so being able to cash those in towards new games would be great.
@Ewflex where I am, digital is a no-brainer. Same sticker price on new games, but 13% tax at the store whereas online I pay no tax - so instant 13% savings. Plus there are frequent sales.
Also I don't need to get up to swap discs, can't lose it, and don't need shelf space to store it.
@get2sammyb I dont think people will get the game a second time.
Its a moral dilemma for sure.
On the one hand, and this is from experience, if you purchase a game from a shop, play it a little but dont really like the game, you shouldnt be entitled to a refund simply because you dont like something but the product works as intended and theres no actual fault with the physical product.
Thats not a breach of your consumer rights and there are multiple outlets to view the product prior to purchase.
But on the other, and this is quite specific to digital, if theres an inherant problem, ie its missold or falsly advertised, you should absolutely be able to get a refund based on the fact that you can with a physical product under those same circumstances.
I guess even so, its a different kettle of fish when it comes to digital.
Great idea and i've used it on Steam to no issue. However i think the only way this may work, is to limit this to full price purchases or above a specified price.
Then in general, the two hour window shouldn't be a problem and secondly, if there is a minimum price that refunds are given, it means that sale discounts can still exist too...
Only other thing they would have to do would be stop the digital re-purchase of the product...
it aint ideal but if something like this was to come into consideration, the above could easily become some of the caviats that come with it..
Of course sony should offer refund, and maybe the ability to sell games back for a percentage of the games price, I want to sell my street fighter 5 digital
Just limit the refund windows to 1 hour for short indies games if sony doesn't want people to finish and refund short game.
Well, if digital is going to be the future, there obviously needs to be some way to get cash back for games. If not a full refund, then a good amount of cash back at least. I don't know if Steam's system is the way to go, but there has to be something.
@Mega-Gazz I don't know where you are from but I live in the USA. Most of times the USA brand new physical games are way better deal than digital. If you save money than more power you buying digital at $60. I agree with digital you don't pay taxes but based on my situation there is no reason to go all out digital with day one purchases.
@Ewflex I'm in Canada (eh?)
@hadlee73 Under the Steam format refunds after 60 hours wouldn't be an option, though.
But I agree. That's the thing with this whole thing: it's absolutely a no-brainer at first blush, but there are complications to consider.
I think there would be some that would abuse it, just like the Firewatch part to the statements. However, I've bought a couple that I hated after just a few minutes...Surgeon Simulator was my biggest regrets...but there are some that got me coming back to eventually. It would be a nice addition, but then Sony would get the backlog of people stating that 'they are copying Microsoft'. It's a win lose battle, and it would be nice, even if (let's say you went past the 2 hour mark) to even give a discount to (basically like a trade in) selling it back with a few dollars less.
@get2sammyb "the vast majority of people wouldn't game the system like that" Sammy you have some very upstanding friends. Because im sad to say i know far too many people who would abuse this and then complain if they missed the refund deadline. Sadly some of them are friends....
Yes. Especially with current trend of digital pre-order & publisher deliberately postpone review. That's it's easier for me to make decision to buy a game on Steam because there is a fail-safe refund.
@get2sammyb Sorry, but I think it's relevant. You are asking Sony to do something in it's PSN store that other companies are doing, so am I, but I think my point deserves precedence b/c it's something they should have addressed 5 years ago. They should fix the easy problems first, mine, then address the hard problems second, yours. If they can't figure out a way to let people charge $1.99 to a credit card do you think they are really going to give you your $60 back on your card refit card refitted just b/c you asked?
Like you said in the article, they already do if you call up and ask, so it's really a non-issue to begin with. If I call up and ask can I charge a $1.99 theme to my cc?
Perhaps Sony could deploy some sort of "rental" system as an option. Rent the game for a certain price (I know, I know sounds like PS Now) if the game holds up, you can purchase it at anytime (minus the rental amount) if you don't like it, you lose the license and few bucks when the rental expires.
I can't really envision the financial implications of such a thing, but hey it's something and fair enough considering even if you bought physical, once you open the game, you lose over half the value, as the only option is to trade in.
long-term customer satisfaction should always be preferred to making a quick buck and is the smarter thing to do in the long run
Yes, go ahead and a refund system.
The problem is the lack of any real care on Sony's behalf of curating and filtering what goes on PSN, there's often too little information and you'll always have to go elsewhere to see reviews and average completion time.
@Turniplord Otherwise trophies locked untill your trial is over.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Why should Sony check the playtime for you? There are almost always trailers and people rate the games. Plus i hate a company to tell me what i can play.
@rjejr Let it go mate here in the Netherlands we have ideal and i can pay the exact amount i need.
@JLPick I like that idea sell it back with a small loss.
@hadlee73 But how do want to do it fair then a lot of people are cheap b****** and they will abuse these systems.
Yes, absolutely. Even if they reduced the time to just an hour you could play. That would be far better than their current anti consumer stance.
Nope. People would abuse it. I've seen it on Twitch just the other day & the guy actually took pride in it. How easy would it be to set up a new PSN account and play Battlefield 1 MP for an hour& rinse and repeat.
Why won't people take responsibility? If you believe in a game enough and you preordered, that's on you.
If you bought a game and it's s###, that's on you.
There's enough information out there to make an informed decision.
If you could tie the game to the PS4, then maybe.
Let's not pretend PS customer support doesn't give out refunds either when it's warranted.
Tricky question.
On the one hand, yes consumers have some responsibility to check out their purchases before they buy. Also, people will abuse it. People do it all the time with store bought goods.
However, the industry has a problem with bullshots and misinformation. The whole of the industry actively pushes and rewards pre-orders or day one purchases. You get stuff cheaper, you can get pre-order deals or more content etc. At the same time, we are seeing publishers not wanting to release review copies or not allow sharing. This leaves the consumer exposed.
While I try not to get sucked in to the whole pre-order bamboozle, the gaming industry goes guns blazing to generate hype and excitement. People want to play the games at release before spoilers get out there or just so they can be a part of a community all playing a game together. Therefore, I think a refund policy is necessary to protect consumers. I wouldn't even mind if say a pound/dollar or something was kept by Sony if I got the majority of my money back.
I also think it would help digital sales - as people mention, trading in games physically is something many do regularly and they don't shop digitally because they may not like the game. If you can effectively try before you buy, they may move to digital which gives Sony and the publishers more direct cash.
Yes, because i'm all for ways for abusing the system.
I do think refunds should be attainable for those that need it, but as many have said, it's super complicated. Steam's solution effectively turns every game into a demo of itself, and that's how a lot of people would likely view it. What I'd hate to see is people saying they've played a game, when really what they mean is that they've played the first two hours and then returned it, no questions asked.
Then again, Steam has been operating with these refund rules in place for a while now, and although we don't have any hard numbers, they would have doubled back on themselves or issued some sort of statement if the system wasn't working, or was being abused. Perhaps it's fine, and people generally respect the refund policy. If that's the case, then maybe Sony can work something out.
However, I do agree with @Fight_Teza_Fight in that people should take responsibility for their purchases. There is a ludicrous amount of information about the majority of games online, be it news, interviews, reviews, video features, or as many Let's Plays as you like. If you buy a game and want to return it because you don't like it, I don't think that should be upheld by ANY platform holder, frankly. You can't do it with physical purchases, so why should digital purchases be treated differently?
I don't know. Sony will surely be thinking about it right now though, with Microsoft following in Steam's footsteps.
Edit: @Rudy_Manchego has a good point about the wider game industry and its hype-building culture. People can easily be drawn in by flashy trailers, pre-order bonuses etc., and will rightly feel angry if the game they buy turns out not to match what's advertised. There is certainly an argument that publishers need to be much more transparent going forward, and hopefully move away from pre-order nonsense. None of that can be helping matters.
Every purchase should have a limited trial time. U pick the game, play a timed trial of it, full game not the demo. After this time is up u choose whether to buy it or not. That would be a nice system for digital purchases. And they wouldn't have to worry about refunding money and all that.
What I would see happening is this - You have your main account on your PS4 then you create a new, blank PSN account and set as primary - buy a game and play on your main account. then, within the 2 hours, get a refund. Then create a new account, 'buy' it again and carry on form your save, within 2 hours refund and create another account etc......
Also, would it count the 2 hours as the person who bought it playtime or console playtime? ? If it's console playtime then the above wouldn't work but what if your console had been abused and blocked by sony but you bought it second hand so you didn't realise you didn't have access to online features anymore only once you have got it home?
There are many was this type of system could be abused, so I don't think Sony will add anything like this - MS don't really care as they are behind on sales so anything to get them in gamers good books will do them
@ellsworth004 That was one of the really good things about the 360 - every game had to come with a demo or trial mode of some kind - they gave up on that with the current gen tho
Yes, I think there should be a possibility for an uncomplicated refund. Of course there would be the possibility for abuse, but I agree with the notion that most customers wouldn't abuse the system.
I buy my games digitally, and I tried to get a refund for Drive Club at launch, but the German PSN customer support proved to be uncooperative back then and in the end, I just gave up, being left with the feeling that Sony doesn't care about good service.
A possibility for refund should be part of any modern digital store and I think it's about time Sony implements this function, especially now that MS does it. I love my PS4 Pro, but I still think that Xbox live is superior to PSN and this is just one more thing proving that Sony has to step up their game.
Every Telltale game would become Free.LOL Digital Pre Orders need a option for refund at least up to 48hr before launch. Other then that In the age of lets plays and live streams on the internet there is no excuse to demand a refund on a game. They are a live demo.
Most refund request come from pre-orders with no research into content.
First off, I am kind of in the bottom two categories in that I am not sure because it could be abused and no, I doubt I would request a refund anyway.
I feel the same when it comes to Physical too. There is a difference, I think, between getting a refund if something is 'broken' and by 'broken' I mean that it literally doesn't work, won't load up. I don't mean 'broken' as in the developers have not made the 'perfect' game on day 1.
Demanding a 'refund' because you don't 'like' a game is not on in my opinion. I wouldn't demand my money back if I bought an Album based on 1 song but hated the rest but I would expect a refund/replacement if the Album was fundamentally flawed - songs not playing for example.
Refunds can be exploited. If you have say 14days to get a refund, then literally, you could buy a new game every fortnight by just constantly getting a refund on the game. Play it for 13days, get your refund and use that to get the next game and so on.
I do think though that gamers should have the right to sell their licence on to another person - effectively Trade the game in regardless of whether its a digital licence or physical on-disc licence.
Refunds for games not living up to expectations is a difficult and grey area in my opinion. Trade in would at least help and of course some Demo or trial period before purchasing would also help and go someway to alleviating the 'need' to bring refunds in. I do think that Refunds should only be issued if that game is fundamentally broken, i.e wont load, download, corrupted etc 'broken' that can't be patched.
Pre-orders etc should be refundable right up until the game becomes downloadable. In fact I don't think Money should be taken until you download either so no need to issue refunds. As soon as a game can be 'pre-loaded', you should get a message telling you the game is now ready to download, to 'confirm' your pre-order and make payment - as soon as payment is received, you can download. I really have NO sympathy for people that pre-order months in advance on digital content - its not as if its 'limited' supply, like only 10,000 in the UK will get the limited collectors special prestige edition so better pre-order as soon as announced to ensure you get it.
I accidently once bought Samurai Warriors 4 for Vita as download, but I do not have a Vita and Sony knows that .. but they refused a refund - that sucks.
I know that I did buy the wrong product, but ...
I don't ser why one should have better rights when buying digital than physical. If I buy a game, break the seal and return to the store two weeks later, I won't get a refund.
When you buy a game, you take a chance. You can minimize that chance by not pre-ordering, reading reviews and watch gameplay footage.
Being honest, I am not sure Sony have the infrastructure in place to support such a system. Whilst the moaning on the official blog is tiresome, customer support this gen havent filled me with much confidence. I think now Microsoft have done it, Sony will feel obliged to follow if they want to keep in check with their '4 the players' slogan
That said, as many on here have commented, its a massive grey area and open for exploitation if not implemented correctly.
Normally it is known how long a game is. So they could make a 2hour system for games more than say 6 hours and an hour system for games less than that. I think I could usually say after an hour of gameplay whether I don't like a game at all. It's not fair to say that we can request a refund if we didn't enjoy a game completely but rather somewhat, and prefer now to spend the money somewhere else. I have an automatic rating system of my own: then if a game is 7/10 or more, it's a deal, if not it's a waste of time and logically I understand that after an hour or two of playing.
I've often thought that the statutory consumer rights we enjoy in the UK for physical products should be uniformly applied to digital products. If someone fully completes a game should a refund be given at all? It would indicate that they accepted whatever the fault was. There should also be a cooling off period provided the game hasn't yet been played, which would then enable people to get refunds if they change their mind soon after purchase.
I don't think refunds should be given if someone "just didn't like something" as this can be abused. Perhaps in addition to offering refunds if something is faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose Sony could offer discretionary refunds - maybe several a year?
@rjejr in the UK if you buy a game with no credit in your PS+ wallet it automaticaly take's it from the card, so you can spend £2.19 on a game and it will just take it straight out of the bank, no need to add £5 to your wallet here. I never put any money in my wallet I just buy my game's with £0 in and it will take the money straight out of the bank.
Ofc refund's are a good idea, no WAY sony will offer it to us though.
Yes off course we should get refunds
Psn right now, is too much like a game of russian roulette with your money.
And if you don't like a game ?
Well too bad for you then, they got your money and your stuck with a clunker in your library, you can't get rid off.
Ive had quite a few games i didn' t like but had no way to get rid off.
And they are still clogging up my psn game library.
Refunds can only be a good thing.
( Bloodrayne Betrayal is one of the games i was really dissapointed in.
Betrayal is right I expected a scrolling beat em up, what I got was an insanely difficult platformer.
which is hardly what i wanted.)
@get2sammyb a trade in system would be nice too, trade in a digital game, get some money back say 30% of the original purchase price, the traded in game is removed from your download list and you get store credit to spend on something else
@Bonito Weird. I bought Game of Thrones (Telltales) on ps3, but wanted the ps4 version instead. I e-mailed Sony and got a full refund.
It took them a while and I missed the sale, but I waited a few months for the next one and got it on ps4.
Who knows why it varies.
@get2sammyb I agree with you, I had the same issue with a computer game not working, I tried to get my money back, and was told "tough luck". That's why I stick with console gaming as well, I know the game will work.
I wouldn't be buying a game that I would want to return anyway, I come here to read your reviews and recommendations, so I know what I'm getting (and shouldn't be getting). Games are too expensive for me to purchase without some research on them first.
Of course.
Yes, Sony should follow suit. But the problem is, with digital content, the system is wide open to abuse.
Plus, "I don't like the game" is not, and never will be, a valid excuse to ask for a refund, and sadly that is why I feel many people want such a feature.
Any game that doesn't offer a trail version should offer a refund system automatically on Sony's part. Its as simple as that.
Games that do offer a trial and are released in a mess should be dealt with by customer support on a game by game basis.
I think thats a fair middle-ground between potential abuse of the system and games not offering what the trailer/pre release content suggests.
@Flaming_Kaiser There are usually trailers but not always, I'm sure you're perfectly correct, why should they bother mentioning any kind of playtime, when I go to see a movie I often expect it to be 14 minutes long. It's Sony's console and they are telling you what you can play, get over it. If you want to play everything then buy a PC, an Android device, every other console but just don't whine when some suggests that there should be a measure of common sense when allowing products to be sold on PSN, it's pathetic.
It might stop all the 'experience' vr titles seeing as they offer very little longevity and expect too much for what that are. Developers would have to 'rethink' how they approach games...certainly in quality and pace
Actually I thought this was now European law anyway and I attributed that as the reason why Apple now offer digital refunds in Europe?
I think refunds should be on anything digital but have time limit or even be able to sell your digital back kinda like gamestop or even be able to resell it to a friend too.
I think they should offer a similar policy, but I'll play devils advocate
Why should anyone be buying a product 'on a whim'? In this day and age, there's no excuse for buying something without at least looking into it first. You get trailers, gameplay videos, reviews, and sometimes demos at your fingertips. If you buy a game that disappoints you within 2 hours, maybe you should considering about thinking about the products you buy.
Even if I think about the most disappointing games I've ever played, I'm not sure any where apparently bad after only 2 hours?
@Fight_Teza_Fight that's why i think my Trade in System is a better idea, you still get some money back but not the whole amount so people can't abuse it by buying a game, playing it then getting a full refund
@xMEADx "in the UK"
Maybe that's why I'm the only 1 ever talking about it on here then, maybe it's a US only thing. It annoyed me on the PS3, but it really annoyed me when the next gen PS4 came out and they were still using the restriction. There sin't alot of stuff on sale on PS4 for less than $5, but you do get those $2.79 w/ PS+ indie games occasionally. Even if I ever wanted a $1.99 theme their restriction almost guarantees I'd never buy one.
@Flaming_Kaiser "in the Netherlands"
As I just said to the other guy, the reason I am probably the only one going on about this is b/c maybe the US is different.
But I don't see why I should stop wanting something that the rest of the world has, that makes absolutely no sense. I should let it go not getting something b/c you have it? Sorry, the world doesn't really work that way, in fact in works just the opposite, people complain even more when they aren't getting something that other people are.
Tell Sony to fix it, then I'll let it go.
They should have been part of PSN since day one.
@get2sammyb Gave the topic some thought - I do that occasionally - how many "refunds" is Sony going to have to give when people start using the "refund policy" as a "demo service"? Every game that comes out you can buy it, play it for 30 minutes or so to try it out, then get all of your money back. For games that have demos, that won't be a problem, but Horizon didn't, how many people would have "demo'd" Horizon, decided it wasn't for them, then wanted their $60 back? Or No Man's Sky? Any big title w/o a demo could run into this problem. How much trouble is Sony going to get into w/ the banks and credit card companies when Sony has to issue 1 million $60 refunds the day a big game launches? Sony, in the US only it seems, won't cover my CC charge of $2.29 for a game but they are going to refund $60 for a million people every time a new big game launches? Even if they limit it to "1 per month" or something, people will do it for big games. Maybe even not big games but interesting ones like "The Last Guardian" which never got a demo.
So lets set the limitation parameters:
Once per month
Some exclusions apply - meaning God of War, Spiderman, probably anything by EA, indies
Your purchase probably has to be money already in your wallet, or only from a bank but not a debit card
By the time they were done excluding games there would be no games left.
Here's a better idea, every game has the PS+ 1 hour time trials that PS3 had but they dropped on PS4. Or simply a demo. Then people have less reason to demand a refund.
And here's the bigger question, why should they offer refunds, in the US at least, you can't return an open game to a store unless it's broken to get a new disc. So if you can't return a disc for a refund, why could you return a digital game? The whole idea makes no sense to me. Paying $2.79 for a game, not $5.00, does.
@FullbringIchigo That would be great, I'd take even 10% of OG price or current market value. Implementing that however sounds incredibly difficult. I wouldn't hold my breath though, considering we are still waiting for name changes and only just got external hard drive support.
Here's the MS statement of policy if anyone is interested. --
Self-Service Refunds Now In Preview Alpha
You’ve spoken; we’ve listened. In support of offering gamers the freedom of choice, we’re making changes to the Microsoft Store purchase experience by offering customers a simple way to instantly return digital products like games and apps through account.microsoft.com.
When a game or app leaves you wanting more, we're here to help. Self-service refunds on Xbox One and Windows 10 provide a quick, simple way of returning a digital product.
To request a self-service refund:
1. Navigate to account.microsoft.com and sign-in.
2. From the top menu bar, select Payment & billing > Order history.
3. Navigate to a purchased game or app, and select Request a refund.
Please note the below conditions for requesting a self-service refund:
Games and apps are eligible for self-service refunds within 14 days of purchase if you have less than 2 hours of play time across all accounts.
DLC, season passes, and add-ons are not eligible for self-service refunds.
The game or app must be downloaded and launched before requesting a self-service refund.
You must wait for at least 1 day after the game or app's release before requesting a self-service refund.
Certain Windows 10 apps may not be eligible for self-service refunds.
Microsoft reserves the right to block access for users who abuse self-service refunds.
Sony should also give refunds for games. I think then game companies would not release broken and buggy games
Why would anyone actually want to get a refund, other than if the game was buggy and not what was stated in the description? It's quite difficult to accidentally buy a digital game on the PSN store but I do agree that if a game is not what was stated in screen shots or description then fair enough but otherwise I have no idea why someone would even want a refund.
@rjejr your well within your right'sto be annoyed with it as well I don't blame you, i've bought a lot of stuff off the store for £1.99 etc and i'd be miffed if it tried to make me deposit £5 evey time as well. Thank's for the MS statement as well I only just read it, sound's fair enough to me. I bet it's especially annoying if you buy a game in a sale and it's $27.86 or so and you have to put in $30.
I don't really understand why anyone would be in favour of no refund policy, yet 10% of the votes are for this. I think the potential problems are being blown out of proportion, after all Steam is fine and offers a reasonable refund policy.
It all kind of reminds me of the problems with DRM in the past decade, it was invasive and often problematic on the PC for those purchasing the game, yet those who waited a few days for a cracked version of the game had no such problems. Why should the honest people pay for how the dishonest ones act? Personally I'm more likely to spend money at a business that respcts me.
@rjejr must be a thing in the US I've bought a few games under £5 and didn't have to put £5 into my wallet to pay for it
@GlynCR "must be a thing in the US"
That seems to be the case, I haven't heard s single person agree w/ me, everyone else just seems to pay whatever it costs. In the US under $5.00 you have to charge $5.00 to your credit card. I have a wallet balance of 0.01 - 1 cent - right now b/c the last game I bought was $4.99 but I had to charge $5.00 to my credit card to put in my wallet. Not that I care about the 1 cent, but it makes me not buy $1.99 games b/c I don't' want $3.01 left in my wallet.
Absolutely. I could be trying out a game I'm unsure about right now if there was a possibility of refund in case the game doesn't click. But since there isn't, I'll just hold off from buying it.
in most situations, i'd be inclined to say no, and some of the issues/complaints could be addressed in other ways. e.g. the 2 hour limit thing could be solved by requiring demos for everything, that way it would be up to developers/publishers how much of a taste they want to give you, and might actually make them work on polishing up a product before release. having a 2 hour limit on some titles could completely kill them as far as sales go. simply because you didn't like something is not a valid reason imo, and let's face it, there is already blatant abuse going on on PSN with regards to digital purchases that expecting everyone to be reasonable about such a feature is unrealistic. i suspect the number 1 reason most people think it should definitely happen is so they can try out games knowing they have a guarantee get-out clause later on.
if people are unwilling to take the risk at whatever price something is, then have some personal restraint and don't buy it. don't complain about it later, and say refunds should definitely be allowed. if you went into a restaurant and there was a particular meal that looked kind of pricey, and you'd never eaten it before or had no idea what it tasted like, but decided to order and pay for it anyway. after a couple of mouthfuls decide you don't like it, are you going to tell the chef you don't like it and want your money back?. good luck with that. but if there was a new drink on the market, you might be willing to pay the £1 just to see what it tasted like. i'd say most people would probably find the risk acceptable rather than march back into the store and demand a refund just because it didn't tickle their tastebuds.
i buy almost everything on blu-ray anyway - it's much cheaper on release than psn, i get to physically own and have on hand conveniently a copy of the game if i ever need it future and have deleted from the hdd. you don't get normally get refunds on physical games (assuming it's not still sealed) - if you get a defective disc, generally a replacement rather than a refund is offered. i've even had issues getting refunds in some places when it's still sealed. yes, you can trade in games for a percentage of what was paid, but i've never been a big fan of the practice to be honest, and am not convinced it helps either consumers or the games industry. having a digital trade in service might be slightly better, at least in so far as platform holders and publishers would have more visibility of the scale of it, and recoup at least some revenue from a re-sale.
@rjejr - are you trying to add funds directly to your wallet first, and then pay from that, or trying to pay directly for an item?. not sure if it's still the case, but here in the UK, the minimum you used to be able to add to the wallet was £5. but if you add and item to the basket and try to checkout and have nothing (or less than the item amount), it just charges that amount from the registered card. have you tried buying from the store.playstation.com site rather than from PS4 store?.
i don't have a card registered, as i only use the psn vouchers anyway - over the long term it's more cost effective. you can generally get the codes for cheaper than the actual face-value. eg: i paid £32 for last year's 12 month PSN subscription, and £31 for my last wallet top-up of £35 credit.
@leucocyte I would never think to add money to my wallet. When you think about it the wallet is kind of s stupid thing for credit card users, we shouldn't even see or need a wallet, just let us buy stuff w/ our credit card and pay for it. Wallet makes sense for PSN card users, but I rarely use those, I only buy something once every few months.
I have tried purchasing from both the PS4 and PSN store website, but it always works the sames, put something in my cart, then I get told to add money to my wallet, and the minimum option is $5.00. I should say that it isn't increments of $5.00. If I buy something for $7.49 it charges $7.49, not $10 (2x$5), so for anything $5.00 and over it just charges my credit card that amount, for anything less than $5.00 it tells me I have to add funds to my wallet and $5.00 is the smallest amount. So sometimes I just don't buy it.
@Flaming_Kaiser Both the games NMS.. driveclub took months to recover. for different reasons granted.
If they added backwards compatibility I would be good. the refunds is a no brainer.
I feel Sony has bee dragging their feet w/ software updates and most matters related to PS4.
I think refunds need to happen on PS4, Firewatch is a bit of an anomaly, in that most games run for much longer than 2 hours; obviously if you played it and finished it, you should do the right thing by the developer and not ask for a refund. But for AAA releases like NMS, where the game seems to bear little relation to what you expected, then I think it's fair enough to ask.
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