Chris’s 3D television was supposed to come with a voucher from Sony for four free PlayStation Network games. It didn’t. Now he’s stuck in that rarest of situations: a problem involving multiple companies where Best Buy is the most helpful and cooperative.

He writes:

I’m in customer service hell over here. I recently bought a 3D television at Best Buy, in the store. Per an in-store promotion by Sony, I was supposed to receive a voucher for 4 free PSN games inside the box. It did not come with the box. I think it was the only flyer and advertisement missing. It was, also, the only one I kind of wanted.

In order to get the voucher, I have placed well over 15 calls to various customer service lines: Sony Support, Sony Consumer Support, Sony Rebate Center, Playstation Support, and Best Buy. Best Buy has been the most supportive.

The television was delivered on Sunday, so that’s when all the fun began. I started with Sony because, well, they were the manufacturers and the manufacturers They said they never heard of the promotion, and to call Playstation. I called Playstation. They said that since the voucher was seen at Best Buy, I should call them. I called Best Buy, who couldn’t get a hole of anybody on the floor due to their being busy, but said that I should go in store to try to pick up a voucher. Which I tried to do, but couldn’t because it was a manufacturer voucher.

So, back to Sony I went. They again passed me off to Playstation. So, I called Playstation again, who said it was Sony’s issue. I called Sony rebate center, who told me they didn’t handle that particular voucher. Then, I called Sony again, who tried to transfer me to a different department, but it was closed by then as it was nearing 7:30 PST.

Monday, I struck up an e-chat with a Sony representation. I spent an hour with them before being told I had to call in, as I now qualified for Level 2 support. I did not get any bonus dinging, or coins appearing, or fireworks.

At lunch, I called Sony AGAIN, I had to wait 10 minutes to talk to level 1, then convince them I made it to level 2, where I waited another 30 minutes for them. Once there, I was told they didn’t handle it, and I should talk to Best Buy, and their Sony distributors. After work, I called Best BUy, where I talked to [C.], who was the most helpful person I had talked to so far. He tried contacting Sony, and I spent an hour and a half on hold with him, while I waited for him to be passed around through Sony. He got a new number that was closed by the time they gave it to him.

He said that he would look into it for me the next day (Tuesday/today). I didn’t hear back, so I called Best Buy again, and got through to [C.], who told me he had had no luck and would look into it for me. He did, but has not gotten through to anybody yet. He said he would continue looking into it in the morning and call me back.

Sony’s customer service is the worst I have ever been a part of, in this regard. Nobody knows anything about the promotions, and there doesn’t seem to be a department that handles it. It seems impossible to get through. At this point, I am doing it to see if I can succeed. Or, if this is an exercise in futility. Hopefully, [C.] can help rectify the situation. Much thanks [C.].

If C. isn’t able to sort this out, Sony has proven susceptible to the Executive Email Carpet Bomb. Or perhaps our old friend Jack Tretton would like to hear from some more unhappy PlayStation customers.

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