NEW YORK, 4:11 AM, MON MAY 12 | 6 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | SUBMIT A TIP | RSS
Posts Tagged “

PS3

”
fraud

Best Buy Sells Broken PS3 With Mismatched Serial Numbers, Denies Return

Reader Daryl writes:
"Bought a PS3 from my local Best Buy yesterday. When I got it home I found out it was broken. On boot up it would say "Need to restore hard drive, press X to continue". Pressing X would cause it to say "Restoring..." then after a few seconds it would restart, and would come up to the same exact thing, and repeat.
So, I take in my broken PS3 to Best Buy today, to replace it of course, and they refused to because the serial number on the console is different from that of the box. They accuse me of trying to trade back a different PS3 than the one I bought (I guess there are idiots that do that), in order to get out of paying to have it replaced. This, of course, is total crap because I bought this EXACT PS3 the night before.
More »

8:30 AM on Wed Mar 19 2008
By Meg Marco
12,868 views, 86 comments

Latest by RenStrike: Bought a 160GB hard drive after work and installed it. Booted up the machine, formatted the drive, and what do I find but the culprits first and last name saved as a user on the PS3's internal memory. more »

customer service

Newegg Doesn't Deliver PS3 With Spiderman 3, Blames Sony

Okay, everyone together in Moe Szyslak's voice: "Whaaaaa?" We're just as confused as you are. Newegg, which has one of the most stellar reputations of any retailer, online or b&m, apparently sent a customer a regular PS3 box instead of one with a Blu-ray copy of "Spiderman 3." Here's where it gets all evil alternate universe: when the customer called to complain, the CSR told him it wasn't Newegg's problem and for him to talk to Sony.
Update-3/7/08: Newegg contacted the OP and resolved the issue—see the OP's comment below. More »

7:29 PM on Thu Mar 6 2008
By Chris Walters
10,207 views, 69 comments

Latest by cerbie: @Rodalpho: You don't get what you need 100% of the time. I've had several issues over the years with Newegg, and never had to "go public" with any. A short phone call cleared it up each time. If that doesn't do more »

misleading

Is It Legal To Use Out Of Date List Prices For Comparison On Sales?

Last week we pointed out how Apple artificially inflates the discount of its refurbished units by using the original introductory list price as a comparison, even if the price has since dropped and the true list price is now lower. Now a reader writes in to say he caught Toys R Us doing the same thing on sale prices of Playstation 3 bundles and 30 gig Zunes. Our question: is this legal? New York City's consumer protection law seems to imply that—at least for retailers doing business in NYC—it's not, unless you clearly indicate the trail of price reductions, something neither company is doing. More »

3:23 PM on Wed Feb 27 2008
By Chris Walters
4,272 views, 52 comments

Latest by Beerad: @Curiosity: Oh, I hear ya, don't get me wrong. However, the states that tend to rank worst in education are places like Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia and Arkansas -- they don't correlate to the list of best job market/highest quality-of-life more »

rebates

What Should I Do About A Lost Receipt?

Reader F asks:
I bought a Playstation 3 last November, wooed by the thought of 5 free Blu Ray movies. However, last night when I went to fill out the rebate form, I found my wife had thrown away the sales receipt! Doh! I purchased this from Shop Ko using a credit card, but Shop Ko has told me they cannot look up or reprint my receipt.
More »

12:59 PM on Thu Jan 24 2008
By Meg Marco
7,357 views, 49 comments

error

GameStop Will Not Accept Defective PS3 Exchange Because Of Serial Number Mistake

Reader Ben's receipt doesn't match the serial number on his defective PS3, so GameStop and Sony are refusing to repair or exchange it. More »

12:18 PM on Thu Jan 17 2008
By Meg Marco
10,840 views, 93 comments

fraud

EB Games Sells You A Phone Book In A PS3 Box For The Low, Low Price Of $500

13-year-old Brandon Burns thought he'd received a Playstation 3 for Christmas. Sadly for Brandon, the box contained a local phone book and not a PS3. He wasn't upset, just amused. His reaction: More »

11:59 AM on Thu Dec 27 2007
By Meg Marco
11,228 views, 55 comments

hype

Confessions Of A Wii, PS3, iPhone Reseller

I saw your article on the Wii shortage and in the spirit of the holiday I want to come clean and confess my consumer sins. I am a reseller.

I have resold : -3 Iphones (for 200 dollars over list, each) -5 Playstation3 consoles (for 300 to 500 dollars over list, each. A total of nearly 2000 in profit.) -10 Nintendo Wiis (each for 150 over list)

I started this side business with the release of the PS3. Months prior to launched to fund my purchase of one by buying five and reselling on Craiglist. I made the purchase on a credit card, in full, nearly 4 months before launch at a smaller electronics store in the Chicago suburbs...

More »

11:45 AM on Mon Dec 10 2007
By Meg Marco
53,345 views, 192 comments

videos

Dusty PS3: Carey Greenberg-Berger On Fox Business

Consumerist editor Carey Greenberg-Berger and original poster Reid Godshaw appeared on Fox Business Network this morning to discuss the warranty-voiding dust PS3 debacle. Reid calls Sony's stance ridiculous and points out how the thing has been a dust magnet since week one. Carey points out how with Christmas around the corner, it might be in Sony's best interest to make this go away. The Fox Business New anchor wonders whether Sony should start selling a dust warranty. It's a rehash of what we've been talking about on the site, but Carey puts in a fine showing for his first Consumerist media appearance.

PREVIOUSLY: Is This Playstation 3 Too Dusty To Be Repaired Under Warranty?

11:15 AM on Fri Nov 16 2007
By Ben Popken
7,688 views, 125 comments

Latest by thomaskr: Nice job, Carey - I was really impressed with your professional delivery. But gotta say, that Reid guy should get a haircut, trim his goatee and pluck his eyebrows before he hits nation-wide TV again. It's pretty clear where the "dust" more »

Carey will be on the FOX Business Network, discussing our reader's fabled dusty PS3, this Friday morning at 7:45 AM.

4 comments

polls

Is This Playstation 3 Too Dusty To Be Repaired Under Warranty?

We now have pictures of the Playstation 3 that Sony refused to repair under warranty because the unit was too dusty. Sony originally claimed that the pictures would not be released without a subpoena, and that the dust presented a threat to their technician's health that could only be alleviated if our tipster paid $150. After our posts, Sony abruptly reversed course and released the pictures to our tipster. Sony's letter, the pictures, and our poll, after the jump. More »

6:20 PM on Wed Nov 14 2007
By Carey
231,434 views, 605 comments

Latest by Piisuke: Seriously, who would say no? Do people even realize what dust and electricity can do? Well, a nice shortcut and electrical shock can occur easily enough, let alone that this amount of dust could cover an entire Mexican village and suffocate anyone more »

FOX Business Network picks up our Sony PS3 "excessive dust voids your warranty" story [FOX Business Network]

1 comment

audio

Sony CSR: What? No! Dust Doesn't Void Your PS3 Warranty!

A Sony CSR admitted to reader Ive that dust should not void a Playstation 3's warranty. Transcript and audio, after the jump. More »

9:42 AM on Sun Nov 11 2007
By Carey
63,290 views, 308 comments

Latest by clem1967: Sony replaced my PS3 with no hassles when my BluRay laser failed. But then again, I keep my home clean. more »

sony

Dust Voids PS3 Warranty

"I just got off the phone With PS3 customer support who kindly informed me that my PS3 is "too dusty" to be replaced under warranty. But won't provide pictures unless they are subpoenaed." More »

9:11 AM on Sat Nov 10 2007
By Carey
141,782 views, 314 comments

Latest by kicksonfire: hahaha dust is my newest enemy! wow... KicksOnFire.com - Air Jordans & Nike SB News and Updates more »

console wars

Apparently, You Don't Know How To Work Your XBOX 360 Or PS3

Next gen consoles have more features than ever before, but if you're like many consumers, you don't know about them. More »

3:59 PM on Thu Aug 9 2007
By Meg Marco
5,767 views, 36 comments

A Canadian Guy With A Closet Full of Unsold PS3s: A Cautionary Tale Derek O'Brien wanted to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. What better way to do it, he thought, than by buying PS3s and selling them for a profit on Ebay. Whoops.

40 comments

ebay

PS3: Are Consumers Put Off By The Price?

Game Daily is reporting that according to the online inventory tracker NotifyWire, the supply of PS3s is actually higher than expected:
    In comparison to the Xbox 360 last year, the PS3 has been in stock more often and in more locations for longer periods of time. "Last year, at NotifyWire.com, we tracked several one thousand dollar Xbox 360 bundles which would sell out in less than two minutes after becoming available," Drake continued. "Just today, a one thousand dollar PS3 bundle was in stock at eToys.com for over 12 hours. This sort of thing didn't happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas."

Prices on eBay have fallen as well. Whoops. Of course this doesn't mean you can walk in to a store and actually buy a PS3, but it does mean you can't gouge someone on eBay quite as easily.—MEGHANN MARCO More »

7:12 PM on Wed Dec 20 2006
By Meg Marco
148 views, 28 comments

Latest by Franklin Comes Alive!: I actually saw a 60GB model at Target yesterday and bought it (last one they had), thinking I could flip it for a quick profit on ebay. When I came home with it I realized the most I could more »

ps3

The $9.99 PS3

Balance is being restored to the universe. Is it karma? Is it the work of a Jedi? Yoda? Are you there, buddy? More »

10:32 AM on Tue Nov 21 2006
By Meg Marco
227 views, 11 comments

tacos

Taco Bell Offers Lifetime Supply of Tacos for PS3

Do you like tacos more than playing video games? Well, you might want to consider this offer from Taco Bell: In exchange for your PS3, Taco Bell is willing to give you a lifetime supply of tacos (read, $12,500 in Taco Bell Bucks). Can one human colon take that much Taco Bell? No man can say. More »

10:12 AM on Tue Nov 21 2006
By Meg Marco
294 views, 7 comments