An update to the PlayStation Networkrefundpolicy has hit, making it somewhat easier to refund a faulty game that’s been causing your console to crash.
The update was quiet, with no acknowledgement from thePlayStationorAskPlaystationTwitter accounts. These updates include refunding a preorder so long as you have not streamed or downloaded it. You may also refund a game up to 14 days after the purchase (or preorder) date if it is “faulty.” This may have been a response to some reports (and later patch) thatAnthemwas causing PS4’s to “blue screen” and require a rebuild of the database upon startup. This same rule set applies to season passes under the PlayStation Networkrefundpolicy. It is also funny to note that pre-orders for games are made purchasable very, very early on PlayStation Network. Right now I couldbuy a pre-order ofControl, a game that releases in August, and if I change my mind two weeks later or the reviews end up saying its not that good, too bad, your purchase date was in April. Not like digital pre-orders even mean anything since there are limitless digital copies.
You can cancel a digital content purchase within 14 days from the date of purchase and receive a refund to your PSN wallet, provided that you have not started downloading or streaming it.
Digital content that you have started downloading or streaming, and in-game consumables that have been delivered, are not eligible for a refund unless the content is faulty.
you’re able to cancel your purchase of a season pass within 14 days from the date of purchase and receive a refund to your PSN wallet, provided that you have not started downloading or streaming any digital content (e.g.game add-ons) included in the season pass.
Being able to refund digital purchases has been along and nebulous thingthat depends on your purchase time, region, and often just up to the whim of whatever corporation you purchased through.Anthemwas the latest to undergo criticism for causing PlayStation 4 consoles to suddenly shut down, spreading fear of the possible corruption of hard drives and the save games lost because of it. I had one friend who attempted to talk to PlayStation Support into giving him a refund for the game since it kept just not working at all until a few days later. Under this new PlayStation Networkrefundpolicy he probably could have gotten his money back!
Valve with Steam was one of the earliest, and largest, companies to introduce a major refund program that allowed players to refund a title they have played less than two hours of and fourteen days after purchase. This change was mostly attributed to the European Union’s enforcing a newDirective on Consumers Rightsin 2014.
Epic Games, whose storefront has been a major counteractive force to Valve’s hold on the digital marketplace,updated their refund policy to match Steamin January of this year. Despite some advancements the courts are still used to extract refunds, such as Nintendo and their eShop refund policy beingchallenged in European courts, and Bethesdaundergoing an investigationforFallout 76. Some brighter moments include Activision allowing refunds forGuitar Hero Livepurchasersbetween 2017-2019, and Epic Games forParagonpurchasers of anytime since that gamedied after only two years.
