Watch dog presenter Anne Robinson.
The BBC's consumer affairs 'adovcacy' program, Watchdog, says that its program airing at 8pm this evening will feature, "Iain Lee solves a problem with one of the best known gadgets in the world - which the manufacturers refuse to fix." That gadget will be the PlayStation 3 apparently.
In the lead up to the program, SCEE's MD Ray Maguire has sent a strongly worded letter (full text here).
Kicking off gently, Maguire says. "I should state at the outset that we are, of course, disappointed if a small number of our consumers appear to have experienced problems with their PlayStation 3 units outside the manufacturer’s warranty period and we take our customer care obligations very seriously."
Before heading for the meat with, "we entirely refute the suggestion that PS3 consoles have an inherent defect or other design issue which is akin to any warranty issue experienced by another console manufacturer. SCEUK has sold 2.5 million consoles in the UK since March 2007 and stands by the quality of its products."
Then it's attack time, "From the correspondence to date, I have serious concerns as to the accuracy of these allegations and the likely tone of the Watchdog report. The information that you have provided suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the technical issues and a mis-characterisation of SCEUK’s OOW repairs policy. It is in all parties’ interests that your reporting does not contain inaccurate or distorted information and the facts are presented in a manner which is not misleading or exaggerated. I trust the detailed information in this letter will enable the BBC to adopt a more balanced and sober approach to this issue than we have experienced to date."
Maguire also objects to the use of the phrase "Yellow Light of Death" because, "it has been adopted by certain members of the online community to describe the situation in which PS3 systems have shut down following the illumination of the yellow light on the PS3’s front panel. The yellow indicator is simply a non-specific fault indicator that can be triggered in a range of different circumstances. For example, it could indicate a problem caused or exacerbated by the console’s power supply, by overheating, by poor ventilation, by software issues or by any one of a range of issues that may inevitably affect any complex item of consumer electronics. "
There are pages of detailed defence by SCEE (or SCEEUK actually) before the coup de grace, "I regret to say that neither the correspondence to date, nor the “PlayStation Repair Action Team” stunt, have given me much confidence that you are treating this issue fairly. If the report is broadcast in what appears to be its current form, SCEUK will scrutinise its accuracy and will take all necessary steps to protect its reputation and that of the PS3.
"Unsupported and potentially misleading allegations of the sort that the BBC appears, from the correspondence to date, to be planning to make concerning the reliability of the PS3 could do significant commercial and reputational harm to Sony and its brands. This is particularly so, given the recent, highly successful launch of the new, slimmer model PS3 and the fact that the last quarter of the year is the busiest sales period for the consumer electronics industry. "
You will be watching, 8pm tonight BBC and then repeated ad infinitum all over the Internet very probably with Kanye West jokes.
In the lead up to the program, SCEE's MD Ray Maguire has sent a strongly worded letter (full text here).
Kicking off gently, Maguire says. "I should state at the outset that we are, of course, disappointed if a small number of our consumers appear to have experienced problems with their PlayStation 3 units outside the manufacturer’s warranty period and we take our customer care obligations very seriously."
Before heading for the meat with, "we entirely refute the suggestion that PS3 consoles have an inherent defect or other design issue which is akin to any warranty issue experienced by another console manufacturer. SCEUK has sold 2.5 million consoles in the UK since March 2007 and stands by the quality of its products."
Then it's attack time, "From the correspondence to date, I have serious concerns as to the accuracy of these allegations and the likely tone of the Watchdog report. The information that you have provided suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the technical issues and a mis-characterisation of SCEUK’s OOW repairs policy. It is in all parties’ interests that your reporting does not contain inaccurate or distorted information and the facts are presented in a manner which is not misleading or exaggerated. I trust the detailed information in this letter will enable the BBC to adopt a more balanced and sober approach to this issue than we have experienced to date."
Maguire also objects to the use of the phrase "Yellow Light of Death" because, "it has been adopted by certain members of the online community to describe the situation in which PS3 systems have shut down following the illumination of the yellow light on the PS3’s front panel. The yellow indicator is simply a non-specific fault indicator that can be triggered in a range of different circumstances. For example, it could indicate a problem caused or exacerbated by the console’s power supply, by overheating, by poor ventilation, by software issues or by any one of a range of issues that may inevitably affect any complex item of consumer electronics. "
There are pages of detailed defence by SCEE (or SCEEUK actually) before the coup de grace, "I regret to say that neither the correspondence to date, nor the “PlayStation Repair Action Team” stunt, have given me much confidence that you are treating this issue fairly. If the report is broadcast in what appears to be its current form, SCEUK will scrutinise its accuracy and will take all necessary steps to protect its reputation and that of the PS3.
"Unsupported and potentially misleading allegations of the sort that the BBC appears, from the correspondence to date, to be planning to make concerning the reliability of the PS3 could do significant commercial and reputational harm to Sony and its brands. This is particularly so, given the recent, highly successful launch of the new, slimmer model PS3 and the fact that the last quarter of the year is the busiest sales period for the consumer electronics industry. "
You will be watching, 8pm tonight BBC and then repeated ad infinitum all over the Internet very probably with Kanye West jokes.
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Comments
Dannybuoy 17 Sep 2009 16:44
1/13
This is crazy. It's not exactly the RRoD! The BBC have to be seen as being fair, they reported on the RRoD a few months ago so maybe they are just trying to be neutral
Someone that sees it all 17 Sep 2009 16:45
2/13
Unfortunately it is true what watchdog are going to show and even more it is very very common inside Sony to throw sand in the customers eyes and to deem all costumers idiots. This kind of aggressive behaviour coming from Sony only shows that they are afraid of something.
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What crap 17 Sep 2009 17:20
3/13
@Someone_that sees it all -- you're talking utter rubbish. The PS3 has been frequently acknowledged to be an extremely reliable games console, and has not been plagued by the trouble the XBOX 360 is in (or was in) due to manufacturing defects. The only reason Microsoft extended the 360's warranty was to ensure enraged customers did not jump ship over to Sony after their consoles needed to be sent in for repair (and in many cases - multiple times). Sony has a credible product and with the holiday season coming up and with the release of a 'slimmed' version, this kind of sensationalist journalism will undoubtedly cause much harm.
I'm not a Sony employee but do own their products, including the PS3 (the original 60GB launch version), and can vouch for their incredible build quality.
I'm not a Sony employee but do own their products, including the PS3 (the original 60GB launch version), and can vouch for their incredible build quality.
Someone that sees it all 17 Sep 2009 17:29
4/13
@What_crap I have to disagree with you utterly! Good thing that you never had problems. And I didn't even mentioned Microshait here because that is not even comparable. They never knew how to do an operating system properly wether a gaming console. loool. My comment is only about Sony and that I can tell you they are vile in the way they run business and very quick to hide a lot of things from the public. There is indeed some serious problems with the PS3 especially the original models. That is why some people ended up with problems after firmware 3.0 every single person with Uncharted and a PS3 that features firmware 3.0 that try that game will know immediately if their console is a good product or not. Like or not this kind of sensationalist journalism is what avoids that many companies get away with many things.
Joji 17 Sep 2009 18:18
5/13
This seems like typical Sony to me. 'You are all wrong and there is no problem' is tantamount to their view, instead of doing the right thing and investigating these issues. I feel Watchdog should put them on the spot, as when PS2s died, back in the day, you never saw Sony offering to replace of fix them for free. Customers were told to sod off and buy another, whcih is unforgiveable.
The PS3 firmware 3.0 is giving some people problems, as displayed on Spong by one PS3 owners nightmare (hunt on Spong for article, which is very scary). I agree that Sony products have great build quality overall, but this kind of thing can easily lead to a complacent mindset, that when a real problem arises, Sony have no contingency plan in place, to deal with it and meet customers half way.
While many may rag on 360, I have friends who've been through 3 or 4 360s, at least MS extended warranties, fixed and shipped consoles to and fro for us, and thus have stuck with it. I bet Watchdog have covered 360 RRoD before, and I'm sure pretty soon RRoD is going to be a thing of the past, after 360 chip changes. If Sony would stop being bastards and give the same quality of customer service for their consoles, I and many other gamers respect them more.
What we ask is very small, and MS prove it can be done, if you really want a problem fixed. Why the hell can't Sony do the same? Stop waving their flag PS3 owners, Sony are in the wrong here, because once they have your money, they really do not care about you. By all means, please prove me wrong, Sony. If you want me to buy a PS3, this is what you need to do, the right thing and treat your customer better.
The PS3 firmware 3.0 is giving some people problems, as displayed on Spong by one PS3 owners nightmare (hunt on Spong for article, which is very scary). I agree that Sony products have great build quality overall, but this kind of thing can easily lead to a complacent mindset, that when a real problem arises, Sony have no contingency plan in place, to deal with it and meet customers half way.
While many may rag on 360, I have friends who've been through 3 or 4 360s, at least MS extended warranties, fixed and shipped consoles to and fro for us, and thus have stuck with it. I bet Watchdog have covered 360 RRoD before, and I'm sure pretty soon RRoD is going to be a thing of the past, after 360 chip changes. If Sony would stop being bastards and give the same quality of customer service for their consoles, I and many other gamers respect them more.
What we ask is very small, and MS prove it can be done, if you really want a problem fixed. Why the hell can't Sony do the same? Stop waving their flag PS3 owners, Sony are in the wrong here, because once they have your money, they really do not care about you. By all means, please prove me wrong, Sony. If you want me to buy a PS3, this is what you need to do, the right thing and treat your customer better.
Darren Andrews 17 Sep 2009 18:43
6/13
My PS3 had the YLOD of death when it was just 15 months old, I was resigned to paying £90 for a repair from a local console repairer but I called Sony for advice. However upon receipt of a copy of proof of purchase, Sony replaced the unit with the same 40GB model within 5 days. I could not ask for any fairer than that to be honest, I was very pleased and surprised with the response.
ergo 17 Sep 2009 18:52
7/13
I can at least somewhat understand Sony's ire: after years of catastrophic failure rates on 360s, it's gotta be somewhat galling to see your box being the one the mass media decides to club with reckless abandon. (Still, shame on Sony for going the MS route and pretending that there isn't a problem, even if it's one that is much smaller than that that plagued their competition.)
Joji 17 Sep 2009 19:14
8/13
Kudos to you, Darren for getting a replacement. I'm sure plenty of other PS3 owners would like the same treatment, but Sony seem so hell bent on stopping everyone from doing so (greedy mofos). Having to show proof of purchase is setting up an obstacle in gamers paths, that many will fall at (I bet Sony are banking on it), and the 1 year warranty doesn't do you any favour either. I keep receipts for pricey products, but not everyone does.
Sony should offer three year extended warranties, just like MS, so all PS3 owners are covered, and fix them for free, instead of trying to leech more money out of your misery.
Just watching Watchdog, and those gamers are very pissed indeed. Who can blame them.
Sony, this is another reason why you suck butt and deserve to be last.
Sony should offer three year extended warranties, just like MS, so all PS3 owners are covered, and fix them for free, instead of trying to leech more money out of your misery.
Just watching Watchdog, and those gamers are very pissed indeed. Who can blame them.
Sony, this is another reason why you suck butt and deserve to be last.
Not unreasonable 18 Sep 2009 06:21
9/13
@Joji. Hold on Joji, so you are saying that it is unreasonable for a manufacturer to request a proof of purchase before they repair a piece of equipment OUTSIDE of the warranty period. I have to disagree with you. For a start, the proof of purchase also confirms the age of the console.
You say it is an obstacle to gamers getting good service that they cannot be bothered to keep a scrap of paper in a drawer for a piece of equipment that cost north of£250. I would suggest that people who cannot be bothered to do that incredibly easy thing do not really deserve any customer service. The fact is in UK Law, you are not required to keep your proof of purchase to receive customer service within the warranty period. But failing to keep the PoP and expecting service beyond the warranty period is just ridiculous, and criticising Sony for not offering that is just partisan posturing.
You say it is an obstacle to gamers getting good service that they cannot be bothered to keep a scrap of paper in a drawer for a piece of equipment that cost north of£250. I would suggest that people who cannot be bothered to do that incredibly easy thing do not really deserve any customer service. The fact is in UK Law, you are not required to keep your proof of purchase to receive customer service within the warranty period. But failing to keep the PoP and expecting service beyond the warranty period is just ridiculous, and criticising Sony for not offering that is just partisan posturing.
Mobe 18 Sep 2009 07:49
10/13
I remeber when I bought my brand new Xbox 360 two years ago and within three weeks had the red ring of death. Took it to fed-ex guy who took one look at my brown parcel and said "Xbox? That's the second one today. We're getting at least five a week".
I asked how many ps3's had come through here. None, was his reply.
I asked how many ps3's had come through here. None, was his reply.
Leabi 18 Sep 2009 12:20
11/13
suppose i went with one of these random companies who fixed my PS3.. in the manor they did on the show...
suddenly
few days laters a fire breaks out in my home...
what would i do then? and who would i complain too?
suddenly
few days laters a fire breaks out in my home...
what would i do then? and who would i complain too?
config 18 Sep 2009 13:02
12/13
I watched the Watchdog show last night expecting a good chuckle, but frankly I was disappointed by its tone and bias to sensationalize it as another RROD.
The torch & pitchfork attitude taken over this apparent issue, along with the show's specially written song, make a mockery of the other - very real issues - covered by the show.
Frankly, I'd never even heard of the "yellow light of death" before this show - and it's no surprise. Here's the timeline graph of result for the term 'YLOD' from Google.
(from 'YLOD' Google timeline search)
By comparison, here the same for RROD;
(from 'RROD' Google timeline search)
I thought the use of a celebrity gamer - TV's Iain Lee - pretty telling. An Xbox fanboy jester instead of a real, credible videogame journalist. Who knows, maybe someone with a finger on the pulse of gaming might actually have put a little perspective on this.
The torch & pitchfork attitude taken over this apparent issue, along with the show's specially written song, make a mockery of the other - very real issues - covered by the show.
Frankly, I'd never even heard of the "yellow light of death" before this show - and it's no surprise. Here's the timeline graph of result for the term 'YLOD' from Google.
(from 'YLOD' Google timeline search)
By comparison, here the same for RROD;
(from 'RROD' Google timeline search)
I thought the use of a celebrity gamer - TV's Iain Lee - pretty telling. An Xbox fanboy jester instead of a real, credible videogame journalist. Who knows, maybe someone with a finger on the pulse of gaming might actually have put a little perspective on this.
sam 18 Sep 2009 15:45
13/13
Would a home oven do the same job?