Sony fined $2.4 million ($3.5 million AUD) over illegal return policy in Australia

guest · Jun 5, 2020

Sony fined $2.4 million over illegal return policy in Australia
Companies based outside of Australia must still follow the Australian Consumer Law.
June 5, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/sony-europe-australia-fine-playstation-144552766.html

Four PlayStation users in Australia contacted Sony Europe, believing that their downloaded games were faulty. Sony told those customers that the company did not have to refund them once a game was downloaded, or after 14 days had passed. That goes against the rights outlined in the country’s Australian Consumer Law (ACL), and now Sony Europe must pay a fine of $2.4 million ($3.5 million in Australian dollars).

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.

“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.
Click to expand...

ACCC: Sony to pay $3.5 million penalty for misrepresenting PlayStation gamers’ rights

“Consumer guarantee rights do not expire after a digital product has been downloaded and certainly do not disappear after 14 days or any other arbitrary date claimed by a game store or developer,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
Click to expand...

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Sony fined $2.4 million ($3.5 million AUD) over illegal return policy in Australia

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