An outraged reader from Consumerist reported to the gaming community the other day that his PS3, though was eligable for coverage, was denied by Sony for repairs. Why? Because is was simply “too dusty.”

As the story goes, the consumer called Sony and was told for hours, rep after rep, that because his product was a gift and didn’t have the receipt that he was not eligable for service. After many-a-reps later, one finally said that it was company policy to not require a receipt and that the serial number was all that he needed. He received a shipping box from Sony, and sent his beloved console in.

After 5 days of no notifications or updates, the consumer called to get some information, and he was told his product was delayed because “there was not RECEIPT!” I was feeling frustrated just reading this… So he hung up and 6 hours later Neil called him up and said that he was eligable for repair, and was within the warrenty time period. So all is well? Right…? Wrong! Apparently, the “dust magnet” (dubbed by PS3 Fanboys everywhere) was just too dusty, and because of that his warrenty was void. The representative claimed that the techies cracked ‘er open and took a peek inside only too find too much dust. They took pictures, and closed it back up.

After demanding that he see the pictures, Sony said they would have to be subpoenaed. So now we have tog et the legal system involved? Well, there were two options left. Either pay $150 service fee, or have his inoperable Playstation 3 sent back to him.

Is it right for Sony to deny service due to their design faults? Communities such as Digg and Yahoo Groups are violently disagreeing with Sony’s decision. It won’t be long before many many more PS3s are down for the count, with a voided warranty.

We can’t blame Sony for doing such thing, what they’re doing is basically a move to protect them and their customers in a way. For one thing, they somewhat require the receipt to check if it’s legit e.g. unit’s not stolen or gray import. but that’s another story. Next is the dust, just like any other hardware or gadget, you hafta keep it tidy for it to be in tip top shape. Yes, there could be a fault with Sony’s side regarding the design etc. but then again the user should’ve kept his PS3 clean as well.

I fully agree. This is partially the users fault. However, when you pay 600+ on a game system with accessories, you would expect there to be some pretty impressive support, equally, the user should have taken more care to the product.

It couldn’t have cost that much extra to have implimented a dust filter..

I guess what gets me most about this story is the fact that the machine is under warranty and the product didn’t have any dents or scratches as if it had been thrown around. What is most fishy to me is the fact that the consumer was given the run-around first due to not having a receipt, then later was given greif because the machine was dusty? I’ve seen the pictures that Sony posted in their defense and the machine is dusty, HOWEVER they only showed the outside of the machine. So what if the outside is a little dusty, is it too hard to wipe clean? Isn’t the outer shell of the Playstation 3 supposed to protect it from the elements (like dust). I guess not.

I think this is another way Sony like many other corporations are trying to find ways to rob our (the consumers) pocket s even more. $600 for a playstation should ensure that you get service even if a little dust collects on the outside of the machine without having to pay and extra $150. What ever happend to the days when companies stood behind their products and fixing or replacing them if they broke prematurely? I guess even Sony does not have faith in their own products as they are letting a little dust on the outside of the machine scare them off. I guess a limited warranty means nothing, it’s just a piece of paper to ensure you a big headache if the products breaks.

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