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Ask Slashdot: How Should Sony Compensate PSN Users?
ogar572 writes "So Sony is going to give 20 million+ PlayStation Network users (numbers vary based on what article you read) two free games and free credit protection (US only) for what happened a few weeks ago. I for one do miss playing Black Ops online, but I have made it through this outage by doing other, more productive things. What I am most frustrated about is the lack of consistent details and information via email about what is going on. Now Sony says that they are going to compensate us with two free downloadable games (more than likely I have never heard of these games before). I would have been satisfied with the free credit protection. Now that they want to offer me 2 games, why can't I pick any 2 games that I want? I mean, my personal info is now probably being sold on the black market because of Sony. What do you think Sony should do, if anything, to compensate for what has happened?"
1. They helped them kick the habit.
2. They introduced them to other game devices.
3. They taught them the dangers of undeserved trust.
These are pretty big lessons.
All I want is for Sony to get things back online and learn some lessons from this. I don't want gifts or subscriptions or any other stuff. Just learn the importance of pro-active security measures. Always be validating the integrity of your systems. Have people on the payroll who can deal with these things instead of having to hire out for them after the fact. Especially when you're directly involved in litigation and supposedly under threats of "hacker" groups. And learn how to communicate with your customers. Take a lesson from the LastPass guys, for example.
I don't want trinkets. Just get your shit together.
It's not that anyone wants a pony, it's that Sony has seriously put a lot of people's information at risk. A stolen credit card can lead to your credit card being shut off at very inopportune times (I once had mine stolen and shutoff at the beginning of a month long trip in Europe. I had trouble even checking into my hotel because the credit card I gave them to hold the reservation no longer worked.). Even worse, if the thieves manage to damage your credit, that is exceptionally hard to repair and will stay with you for at least seven years. In the extreme, you could find yourself unable to buy a car or a house, or even turned down for a job (since some employers check credit history).
The question is that given Sony has put some many people at so much risk, are two games of their choosing and some credit monitoring enough to compensate?
Make it compulsory for ALL new games to be functional without requiring PSN even once
You should be able to buy a PS3 and use it till the end of its Hardware life without any internet access at all
Instead of free games, I want a method by which Sony will completely delete all information they have about me. Regardless of how responsible they'll be in the future, they had their chance and they blew it.
Dear diary: Today I stuffed some dolls full of dead rats I put in the blender.
I think you're missing the point.
It's not about what Sony "owes" anyone or what they deserve.
It's what it will take for consumers to be willing to take another chance on PSN.
Since so many popular games are crippled without online play, for the PS3 to be relevant, people have to want to use PSN. If they aren't, Sony essentially loses in the videogame arena forever and becomes a cautionary tale.
Personally? I can't even imagine what Sony could do at this point to make me want, for example, to give them my credit card number, so I am going to stop buying their products and get on with my life -- but not everyone thinks as I do, and there's some segment of the market they can win back over through naked bribery. As much as they can even semi-reasonably do so, they have to to remain relevant.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sony fucked up so bad with the security of their online play offering they've made Microsoft look good by comparison. Rehabilitating their image from that will not be easy -- it isn't the biggest mistake a gaming company's ever made by a longshot, but it's going to hurt their reputation badly for a long time, and there's a big market cost for that.
Worst case scenarios:
-They use your existing credit card. You report it to the credit card company who disables your card and sends out a new one. For the week that you don't have the card, you can't use it. The law allows the credit card company to hold you responsible for the first $50 of fraudulent activity. Some credit card companies charge for a new card if your old one is stolen or misused (mine charges $10). In the end, you can't use your card for a week, and you could be out $60.
-They use your existing debit card. You report it to the bank who disables your card. The bank, however, is not responsible for refunding the fraudulent charges. Your entire bank account could be wiped out and you could be left with numerous overdraft fees. In the end, you're broke.
-They open a new line of credit in your name. You don't find out until you go to buy a car or a house or change jobs and only then you find out that you're considered an extreme credit risk. Some credit lines adjust your interest rate based on your credit score, so you could find that your existing credit card interest rate goes through the roof, even though that particular card isn't involved. It can take years to correct bad credit information, so in the end, you can't make any major purchases and you might not even be able to get a job.
Yes, these are the extreme examples, but they aren't that far-fetched.
Sony is giving you a free service that you didn't pay anything for.
I paid $600 for it. It came as part of a bundle with some hardware.