Sony sent out emails to customers saying it mistakenly charged sales tax on PlayStation Network purchases back in the day, and has refunded the money into their accounts.

Here’s the message Sony sent:

Dear Sony Entertainment Network account holder,

After performing routine system maintenance, Sony Entertainment Network sales tax records were mistakenly modified and some customer’s accounts were charged sales tax in error.

Between November 18, 2010, and April 11, 2011, one or more transactions originating from your account was charged sales tax in error. Correcting this, we will refund the errant charges back to your account in the amount of [redacted] via your Sony Entertainment Network wallet. This will appear in your transaction history as a one-time inclusive credit.

We are diligently working to correct this error and will have your account refunded by March 31, 2012. If you do not see the credit to your account by March 31, 2012, or if you have further questions please contact our customer service department at: http://us.playstation.com/support/contact_options/

Thank you,
The Sony Entertainment Network Team

The amount of the refund varied depending on the purchases made during the period. Even though it took the company so long to identify and correct the error, it’s nice to see Sony get around to setting things right without being forced to do so. Of course, the gesture presumably doesn’t cost the company much because it’s refunding virtual currency and not coughing up cash.

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