Considering Sony’s security measures when it comes to its PlayStation Network have been proven to be rather lacking in the past, you’d think the company would have enforced some decent policies when it came to handling those who had been the victim of a hack. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case, as one user has been forced into a compromising position by the company after a hacker ran up $600 in charges using his account, with Sony only offering him $150 back or a permanent banning of his PSN account if he chose to follow up the incident with his bank.
Also See: Cherries on Top: The 5 Best Story DLC Packs
In a post on Reddit, the PSN user revealed his awful dealing with Sony’s customer service, writing:
“This morning, I started receiving emails indicating a number of purchases on my PSN account.
As the transactions came in, one-by-one, it became immediately clear that my account had been hacked. I immediately logged into PSN and removed my card from the account, changed my email and password, and simultaneously launched support chats with both Sony and my bank.
The Sony representative told me that they are only permitted to refund transactions of up to $150. He also informed me that I could dispute the charges with my bank, but by doing so, my account would be banned from PSN. As a result, I would permanently lose all of my purchases, including the Last of Us Remastered.
He also informed me that my existing PS4 had been deactivated from the network this morning, and that a new one had been activated. When I asked him to deactivate that new, mystery PS4, he said he could not. I then turned on my PS4, logged in with my new credentials, and attempted to activate my PS4 with my account, but it informed me that I could not activate it as long as there was another PS4 bound to my account.
I called customer support, hoping for some clarification. The agent informed me that there is indeed a refund investigation underway, but that it will be limited to $150, and that it would be credited to my PSN wallet, not my bank account. Furthermore, my account will not be able to activate a new system for 6 months, per Sony policy. I’m completely locked out of my own account until that date. I then asked about what would happen if I got my bank to reverse the charges, and he informed me that it would result in a banned account. I asked if there would be any way to restore my purchases, and he told me that there would not be, but I “only have the Last of Us and a couple of the monthly free deal games,” so it’s not a big deal.”
That Sony still hasn’t enforced at least a two-step authentication process for its PSN accounts in the wake of the service’s historic hacking is baffling, and it seems like this user has bore the brunt of their incompetence when it comes to resolving customer issues. It’s particularly shocking that they would slap him with a permanent ban of his account if he were to follow up the issue with his bank, effectively ensuring that no matter how he approaches this situation, he will still wind up losing money through no fault of his own.
Hopefully Sony responds to this customer’s complaints with a more reasonable solution in the near future.
