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A class-action lawsuit in California charges that the Sony has misrepresented the PlayStation 2 by claiming that it also plays DVDs. The suit charges that many units stop reading DVDs after only a few months of use. Gee, that sounds just like what our readers have been saying. By the way, the problems with Playstation 2 aren't all that new. Playstation 1 wasn't exactly perfect either.
Jeffery of Raleigh NC (05/07/08)
I phoned Sony Computer Entertainment America Service department to replace a broken Blu-Ray drive in my Playstation 3. I did not have my original sales receipt so I elected to pay for the service $149. The whole process was initiated on 4/14/2008. It took some time to receive the packing materials that SCEA sent me to mail my PlayStation 3 in for service. I had it into the mail the very next day. On 5/5/2008 I received my Playstation 3 back from SCEA with a service receipt for the $149 and a Product Service (exchange or repair) not Authorized letter. The letter had a check box next to the reason The product shows excessive damage due to inadequate packaging by the consumer.
They included my unit and it the only indicator that it was touched was a new label on the bottom of the machine with my name on it. The unit was in near perfect condition except for the damaged Blu Ray player so I had initiate a call back to Sony for clarification. I was paying to have the unit serviced, after all. After much conversation, I was now being told the unit had a damaged power port (where the power cord goes in). This is very different than their letter of explanation sent to me. It was obvious to me something happened and they had the wrong unit and never really looked at mine. I had already had the unit powered on and working just as I had prior to sending it to them for repair. Everything was working except for the blu ray player. I asked to speak to a manager and pleaded with him that there were multiple errors made. He gave me his name Chris 495009 and was adamant that no errors had been made.
I am out $149 (being contested)and if I should ever have to service my device, Sony will refuse to work on it.
Paul of Puyallup WA (05/03/08)
I purchased a PS3 system on February 1st of this year. 60 days after I purchased the system it stopped working. It would no longer read any discs, game or dvd. I called Sony and followed the correct procedures according to their policy, and they determined that I needed to ship it back to them for repair. I received the box and followed all of the instructions to ship the system back to them. I shipped the system to the on April 4th and they received it on April 14th, 2008. It has since passed the stated 7-14 business days for me to receive my system back from them and they have been absolutely ne help at all. I have called and asked aout my system several times and nobody can tell me anything.
They just keep saying Sorry sir, there is nothing I can do for you, your system is on back order. When I asked for shipping to be upgraded for system to be sent back they couldn't authorize it. So I asked if my warranty would be extended and they said they couldn't authorize that either. So I just called today(May 2, 2008) and now their telling me it will be another 10-14 business days before I receive my system back from them. I don't know what else to do, I am at their mercy. It seems to me that the problem is widespread and that we as consumers should have some form of recourse that we can take.
Neil of Lakewood CO (04/26/08)
I purchased a PS3 System from sonystyle.com and financed it because they were offering a $100 off for financing thru SONY Financial Services. They now tell me that at the time I financed it, I was offered achoice of a SONY Chase VISA card with a $100 rebate and a SONY HSBC VISA card without a $100 rebate and I intentionally chose the one without the rebate. Duh, the only reason I financed the deal was to get the rebate so why would I choose the one without the rebate? There was no such choice.
Ashley of Huntersville NC (01/23/08)
My fiancee received a Playstation 3 from his roommate who acquired it through a convention which Best Buy attended in the fall of last year (2007.) Last week the PS3 would not read disks, music CDs or DVDs. We called the Sony Technical Support Line and since we did not buy the PS3 or have a proof of purchase (because it was won in a raffle at the convention) we could not get it fixed.
I did buy the PS3 from a friend and therefore I am out the money I spent and there is no way to fix the machine. Also, game stores (Game Stop, etc.) are not authorized to fix or even diagnose problems with PS3 systems. I think that is also ridiculous.
Asanga of Aizawl OTHER (01/19/08)
Today is the 19th of Jan 08. Last year exactly at 24th Nov 07, I bought the smaller playstation 2 version, man was I thrilled. But 3 months after I bought it turned out to be a huge mistake. I hardly played my games and when I did the console would fail to read the discs, even if it did I would have to restart over and over again. New dvds would fail, and the console sometimes won't even read these new games. It's really fustrating! I had the PS1 but never had such problems, just that I accidentally dropped it and smashed it. It has only been three months and it's not even worth owning it. I read in a website that it can be cleaned and repaired but shouldn't that be like after 2 or 3 years not just as soon as three months?
Jonathan of Bristol OTHER (12/29/07)
I bought a Playstation 2 Feb 07, and it worked O.K. until Dec 07 when it has started to refuse to read some games. It is less than a year old, and it seems that it is as expensive to have it repaired as to buy a new one. This is sad because the games when working are quite good.
The economic damage is over 130 (British pounds).
A. of Bridgend OTHER (12/22/07)
I bought a SONY 60gb Playstation 3 just 6 months ago, and the machine has stopped reading discs. I had two playstation 1's and three ps 2's all because of the same fault that it refuses to recognize CD's, DVD's and games. I took it back to TESCO to get a refund and they were very helpful, but they told me the 60gb version has been discontinued in Europe; all that is available is the inferior 40gb version. I am sick of SONY and its pathetic electronics. Should I now buy a NINTENDO WII or an XBOX 360?
Well I'm angry and shall NEVER buy ANY Sony product again.
Lynne of Wilmington DE (12/19/07)
The Sony playstation 2 was expensive at $200.00 but worth it at first for my 8 year old son for Christmas. But after a short time (only 3 months) the mechanism didn't seem to work.. It showed an error, no disc, and the fan sounded awful with cracky sounds. I'm glad to see others commenting on the same problems with Sony playstation 2. I'm just glad I'm not alone on this situation.I feel I was ripped off by Sony and am very dissatisfied, as well as a dissatisfied sweet little boy.
Holly of Rathdrum ID (11/12/07)
My two boys saved up their allowance and money from odd jobs for 6 months and bought a Sony Playstation together. It worked for several months and then all of a sudden wouldn't play and would say "Disc error" on games they had played many times before. They went without the Playstation for several months, but I felt bad for them and bought another one. After a couple months the exact same thing happened.
Between my children and myself we have spent hundreds of dollars on the Playstation, games, memory cards, and accessories. I don't dare ever buy anything Sony again!
Rose of Millbrae CA (04/15/07)
I have two Sony play stations and both have stopped working. My cousin has one and it stopped working yesterday. I and other family members have paid over 299 dollars for these systems. I expect to get something that will last; now I not only have wasted over $600.00 but over $1000.00 in games. I have to buy a new DVD player that will cost me about $100.00.
William of Dayton KY (04/09/07)
I have had a playstation 2 now for about a year, and a couple months ago it been acting up. it was not reading DVD, and games it formatted my memory cards, then just last week the games that would play started freezing and now they do not play. When I looked at the bottom of the disc there are circuler scratchs on my games. When I looked inside there was glue seeping from the lazer lenz therefore scratchs on the games. I called sony about this. I told them that I should have a new ps2 sent to me at no cost. They told me the only thing they can do is take my old one and send me a refirbushed one for 45 plus S&H I told him that thae councle did more than 45 dollars in damage I had two brand new games destroyed. When Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and the orignal playstation came out they lasted more then 1 year. I still havr a super nintendo and a ps1.
Maria of Salisbury NC (04/09/07)
I bought my fiance a Playstation 2 slightly over 3 months ago. It has barely been used, and has not been damaged. All of a sudden it will not read discs. It will not read any discs, even discs that we have played before.
I am very irritated after learning that we are not the only people who have encountered this problem.
Hopefully something can be done, because I have spent over $300 on the console, controllers, memory cards, and games for only 3 months of usage!
Kim of Barboursville WV (03/10/07)
I purchased a Playstation 2 for my son for Christmas 2006. It has stopped playing today March 10, 2007. The disc will not spin and it gives a "no data" response. This is the second Playstation my family has owned and both have proven to be worthless. Cost of the game: $200.00 Games and extra equipment: $350.00.
Lutfee of Pittsburgh PA (03/09/07)
I bought a play station in 2006. It never played movies. Now I can't even play games on it, it gets really hot in 10 minutes after I put the game in. I have to keep opening the system and wiping off the disc, just to play a simple madden football game. It is almost imposible to play action games. They jump, the game stops, I can't even move from one part of the game to the next. I paided almost $170.00 for the system, game cost $40.00 - $50.00 a piece.
Lincoln of Las Vegas NV (01/01/07)
I have had my PS2 for about 9 months. I have played it for a total of a couple weeks of use over that period. It cuts out or won't read DVD's. It also won't read PS2 games most of the time. This has resulted in a loss of nearly $1000.00.
Tracey of IA (12/13/06)
Sent in a ps2 to be refurbished or repaired. They supposedly sent me a refurbished one. I paid 45.00 for repair and 23.00 for shipping. However, the one they sent me as a replacement is defective as well. It shuts itself off in the middle of the game. The cooling fan is not operating. They told me that it looked like they sent me one that was not repaired and apologized, however there is a 90 day warranty so I can get it fixed for nothing. The catch: I have to pay another 23.00 in shipping as it is Sony's policy that they will not and cannot pay for any shipping to them.
Isaiah of Brooklyn NY (11/26/06)
I see so many people complaining about the ps2 i never knew that there were so many people having problems with the console all o can say is that i bought it a couple of years ago and since then ive been having problems freezing, disc read errors,etc i called sony and they said theres nothing they can do since my warranty expired i thought at first it was my problem with how i treated the system but now i see its not just me.
Doug of Santa Clara CA (11/25/06)
We own a Sony PS2 that our 2 boys attempt to use, and it is increasingly not playing most of our DVD's or the many Sony PS2 games which we have purchased. We purchased it for the advertised convenience of being able to play both with the same unit.
We are out the money for the console (several hundred dollars) and then 5 - 6 hundred dollars in PS2 Games. I thought I was experiencing a random error, until I began researching on the web. It weems that this 'Disc Reading Error' experience with the PS2 unit is just as Sony intended. I am really disappointed with the way that Sony has been handling the situation. More consumers need to know about how Sony does not stand behind their products.
Sharon of Vidalia GA (11/24/06)
I purchased a Playstation 2 at Walmart for my son for Christmas 2 years ago, for the past 10 months he has not been able to play any Playstion 2 games on it, it comes up with a disc error message, I have also purchased about 25 Playstion 2 games that are now just gathering dust, what a wait of money!
I have a Playstation 2 that is no longer able to play playstation 2 games it comes up with a disc error message, I have about 25 games that are just gathering dust, What a ripoff and a waist of alot of money, I will not purchase a Playstation 3, who is to say that the same thing want happen to it. Sony needs to do something about this problem, I would like my money back or at least fix or replace the game system
Tiffany of Bourbon MO (11/18/06)
Yes, I was a fool when I bought the Playstion 2, and guess what disc read errors and no recall after 5 yrs of building crap. What a joke Sony!! We deserve our money back or machines fixed. Wait till these errors with the playstation 3 come out, Sony will go down.
$300 for console and numerous games that can't be played now. Should of stayed with Nintendo, never had problems with them
S. of Lake Orion MI (11/18/06)
As the mother of a 15yr. old, I am truely appalled by your method of limiting the release of the Sony Playstation 3. Sony has gain significant monetary success by marketing and selling to todays youth, I would think that you would feel some type of responsibility to look after the well being of these consumers. After Fridays limited release of PS3 across the country, this is clearly not the case. Until you can manufacture enough to supply the demand, you should not put your customers and retailers in a position to be hurt physically and legally by creating this frenzy of an environment. I am afraid someone will end up losing their life if this marketing strategy does not change soon. It is time for Sony to start looking after the hand that feeds them.
Rebecca of Coldwater, MI (09/24/06)
My Playstation 2 will no longer read any disk. I have lost hundreds of dollars on games and accessorys and I'm afraid of purchasing another one and lose even more money. It is not very old and I believe that it should be recalled after so many people have the same issue.
Charlie of Buena Vista, VA (09/16/06)
I purchased my daughter a Sony PS2 two years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It will not read blue disc or some DVDs. This is very disheartening as I have always liked Sony products.
When calling Sony I get no satisfaction. We have lost over $400 in this system and games, not to mention the disappointment my daughter has in this game.
Steve of Hamden CT (2/12/05):
Purchased Playstation 2 for $200. Owned it for less than 2 years. For the past two weeks, it has disc errors or will not read dvd video games. I owned a Playstation 1 for almost 6 years for which I purchased for $99 and never had a problem with it. Sony is misleading consumers. The only thing I ever used the console for was playing video games and playing dvd movies.
Damage Resulting: $200 for the console. I own $320 worth of Playstation 2 video games that are now worthlesss.
Brandi of Slidell LA (1/3/05):
On 12/22/04 as a present I got my son a Playstation 2 -- it only worked for 2 days. You are supposed to be able to watch a DVD on the Playstation 2. After watching a DVD the Playstation 2 wouldnt play any games or DVD's. This is a problem and I'm not the first. I telephoned the company and will be sent a refurbished unit. The problem is my warranty now has been shortened. It shouldn't be shortened because this is a recurring problem with the PS2. I don't want my money back -- I want a machine that works.
Peter of Woodford Green, Essex, UK (12/24/04):
A PS2 that I had purchased for my son had a 'disk error' problem after 9 months and subsequently Sony replaced with a 'refurbished unit' in accordance with their warranty, the replacement unit lasted just one week and I contacted the Sony helpdesk again asking for my money back or a new unit as clearly the 'refurbished units ' are inferior. They declined to do this but sent another 'refurbished unit'. This unit lasted two weeks before completely freezing with a new game inside the unit. This error happened just a day before Christmas Eve and ruined my sons Christmas as he was unable to play the new games he received as gifts! I am now waiting to hear from Sony.
To date I have lost two days work waiting for replacement units to arrive and my sons Christmas was spoiled. My son has so many games that we are between a rock and a hard place. I am reluctant to purchase a new PS2 unit as I believe Sony should adhere to their warranty. In my heart I just know that I am going to be out of pocket as my son is so upset that I will just have to buy a new one.
Damage Resulting:
Christmas ruined, two days work disrupted waiting for replacemeny units and I still have not got a working PS2!
Travis of California MD (11/26/04):
I had bought a Playstation 2 a year ago. Now it will only read disks that are blue or not from DVD ROM.
Damage Resulting: spent hundreads of dollars on games and now have them with a non-working Playstation
Beth of Oceanview DE (11/14/04):
I have had this PS2 game for 2 years now and my children have complained from day one that there are certain games and DVDs that will not play in the machine, specifically blue-bottom games and some black-bottom games.
After finally believing it was not my kids, I decided to do some research and am finding that there may be a problem with the product. It cost me $250 to purchase the item and it has never been able to do what the manufacturer claims it can do, read all PS2 games and also be a DVD player. At this point in time, if I have to purchase a new machine, honestly, I will go with XBox or something other than a Sony product. I am very unhappy with their product!
James of Maryland Heights MO (10/13/04):
I purchased a brand-new Sony Playstation 2 on 6/30/2004 from a local Best Buy. On 10/05/2004 the Playstation started making a grinding, cracking, clacking noise from the CD reader. And soon after the game stopped playing and froze. I called Sony customer support to inquire about the error, and they were totally scripted. They would not talk to me has if I was a human being, but I did get one normal response from them. They did say that there have been DVD reader errors (which most games are now DVD) reported from time to time.
Now that I read other consumer complaints, I know that this statement is a lie. They should do a recall with the number of complaints made. I attempted to return the system to Best Buy which in turn was rejected due the purchase date being over 90 days. 5 Days past the 90 day return policy! This is absolute crap! My business is gone from Sony and Best Buy. Neither company backs their products.
Damage Resulting: I have lost over $800 which includes gaming console, 3 controllers, 10 games, 1 network adapter, and 2 memory cards.
Bob of Roselle IL (8/3/04):
After only a year of use my Sony Playstation 2 will not read any disc whether it be a playstation game or dvd. Now I'm stuck with tons of games and accessories that are useless. I would like Sony to fix it or replace the defected machine with another. If Sony fails to accomplish this request they will lose my business and the business of my family. As of right now I'm playing my super Nintendo that still works after how many years.
Virgil of Clearlake Oaks CA (2/22/04):
With the ps/2 controllers, they break too easy. The (R1) button breaks with ease. I have 4 controllers all with the same problem. Also to save money on repair costs I have to do my own work. Like the DVD issue -- it`s the laser eye that gets dirty. When it stops reading discs I pull it apart & clean it. It's a temporary fix.
My warrenty is invalid now that I clean it myself.
Melissa of Dolores CO (6/3/04):
I bought my four children the Playstation 2 at Wal-Mart for Christmas. It only worked for about 1 year before it stopped reading the disks. I have spent, and so have my children, a fortune on games and accessories for this thing. Now we have a ton of games that we can't do anything with. My kids got their old Playstation 1 back out of storage.
I can't take it back to Wal-Mart, because I know longer have any receipts or the original box. I would like to have this replaced by Sony or they will lose any business they may have gotten from our family. Maybe we should have stuck with the tried and true, Nintendo!
Parnaozichvili of diest, Flemish-Brab, Belgium (3/23/04):
I bought PS2 a year and a half ago. Everything looked fine before I tried to watch some dvd rentals. Certain disks played, certain refused. After a few times my PS refused even to read a white coded PS2games. All it wants to read is the original demonstration game BLUE COATED ONLY.
Alex of Rochester NY (3/8/04):
I bought a PlayStation for my son and all of the sudden it stopped working. it would not read the disc. I heard some people with the same problem.
Dan of Hesperia CA (3/1/04):
I have been dealing with this Playstation 2 problem from the first week my kids started using this piece of junk. Most DVD's did not work in it, and when I finally complained, the business where I purchased it said they could not do anything because it was 2 days over the 90-day warranty period. When I e-mailed Sony's customer relations people, they stated that they did not want to deal with me over the internet. They stated that a representative will contact me soon to resolve this issue. That was about 3 months ago, so I figure that was just a kiss-off to keep me quiet for now.
I work for the Dept. Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Automotive Repair, here in CA. I know what people's complaints can do to resolve an issue. I believe this is a world-wide problem with this $300.00 piece of garbage having been shipped everywhere. My kids have $500.00 to $600.00 worth of games that are nothing more than paper weights to go along with a $300.00 door stop. All of my kids friends, that have them, all have the same problem with the DVD part of the unit. The problem is that all the best games are now DVD games, which means that they can't be used.
My kids and their friends are now going to purchase X-box game units to play games on, but they have to start from scratch, after sinking almost a grand into this worthless piece of junk.
Sony should be embarrassed by this situation and make it right by buying everybody's Playstation back along with all the games. I know this would never happen, hence the class action suits against them. I have stopped purchasing Sony products, and am spreading the news around about their lousy customer relations and products.
Jason of Marshfield MA (2/12/04):
I have purchased three Sony playstation 2's in the last year and the company will not replace any of them. I have had numerous problems with software and just want what I paid for to be replaced or repaired with no questions asked but of course Sony has been nothing but a hassle and an inconvenience. They want me to pay for repairs and shipping.
I have already bought it so they should be responsible for all aspects of repair and shipping, but when I told them that they were rude and showed no care at all for the consumer. I think X-box should have the rights to all sony games so people would not have to even buy sony ps2 anymore.
I have spent almost a thousand dollars on three boxes with ps2 on them that are now door stops, paper weights, and a total finacial blunder on my behalf and I will let everyone in my area know about the waste of money that ps2 is.
Brian of Wilkes-Barre PA (3/29/03):
I bought Playstation 2 when it first came out and it worked great for the first year. Then about a couple of months ago it stopped reading blue discs. Then a month ago it stopped reading DVDs. Now it rarely reads any discs at all and I would like a new Playstation 2.
The economic damage it has done is that I bought some games that were blue discs thinking that it would work and I get home and it doesn't. So now i feel like an idiot because I just spent $50 on something that I can't play.
Craig of Fort Lauderdale FL (3/18/03):
Returned a playstation that had stopped working to Best Buy. I had bought the extended warranty. Got a new one no problem and was home in 10 min., hooked up the new system and it doesn't work. Went right back to store, got the same clerk only this time he disappeared in back for a few minutes, then comes back and tells me that the sticker on the back of the unit looked tampered with and they would not accept this unit back.
I explained that this was the unit they just gave me 10 min ago when the manager shows up and practically accuses me of trying to pull some kind of scam. Now I have a Playstation that doesn't work and I'm out $340. I looked at the sticker in question and agreed that it did looked tampered with but it wasn't by me. I was obviously sold a returned unit as new.
"D" of Enfield NH (2/13/03):
I bought my son a Playstation for Xmas 2 years ago. He got to use it all of three times and it no longer read the games. I went out last year and had to try again with a Nintendo 64. Of course now you can no longer find games for it!!
What is it lets see how many game systems we can get people who work hard for their money to buy, just so they can disappoint their children? What is this world comming to? We want what we pay for -- these systems are not cheap!
Kenneth of Amherst NY (1/27/03):
I own a Sony Playstation 2 which I paid $300.00 for a year and a half ago. Sony has problems with the unit reading DVD discs giving you a "disc read error." My unit also now won't work when turned on (no menu or sound). In my investigations I've discovered that clearly Sony has problems with the units.
I spoke to Sony on 1/25/03 with the problems I'm having with my machine and they want me to pay $98.00 to send it in and have it repaired. I clearly have been ripped off by Sony since they know they have problems and refuse to fix them at their cost to satisfy their customers. They still continue to advertise their units as a DVD player when some DVDs won't play in them even though they should. I want Sony to fess up and fix my machine since the problem is theirs and not the consumer's.
Janet of Graniteville SC (3/9/02):
My son bought a Sony Playstation 2 in September. By Christmas, it stopped working with a Disc Error, cannot read disc. After speaking to an electronics store about this problem, I find out this is a common problem and to get it fixed, the cost will be at least $125. I have gone out on their website to chat and found lots of entries everyday with the same problem and no help from Sony. I am upset because a $300 system cannot hold up more that 3 months.
Andrew of Warren PA (3/6/02):
I purchased a Playstation 2 at the end of November 2001 for $299 plus tax and by February of 2002 the unit was not working properly. In my instance, I receive a "Disc Read Error" when I try to start a DVD in the system. After contacting the store I bought it from, Electronics Boutique, the employee told me that this store alone receives 5-15 faulty systems a week which have the same problem as mine, and that this problems occurs anywhere from one month to 18 months after the system is bought. Unfortunately, since the warranty had run out, he could do nothing for me.
I researched a bit more online and found hundreds upon hundreds of testimonials from people claiming to have the same problem. I then called SCEA and spoke to a customer service representative -- after taking my initial complaint and contact information, he asked me to state my complaint again. He then read to me a statement from Sony stating that the "Disc Read Error" problem is an unfounded rumor and Sony will not confirm the problem or accept the blame for the units in question.
Then, though, I was told if I wanted to send my system to Sony with $126 (quoted), they would replace the broken parts. The simple fact that he immediately understood what the problem with the system was and told me that $126 would replace the faulty disc drive, is an offhanded confirmation.
I am now stuck with a $300 doorstop. I can either pay just under half of my initial investment into it to have it fixed, or throw it away. Add to that the cost of video games and extras for it, and I am out another few hundred dollars. This is very distressing -- I feel that Sony is very dishonest in it's business, telling me that even though this problem is a rumor, they are aware of this faulty system and can have it fixed.
I have spoken to numerous people who have called Sony about this -- mind you, which isn't caused by normal wear and tear or misuse of the system -- and Sony still refuses to confirm that this is a mistake within the system.
Bruce of Bensalem PA (2/12/02):
Has it come to anyone's attention the fact that Sony fails to admit they have a problem with their Gaming System - the Playstation 2. After limited usage, my gaming system will no longer read any disk needed to play the game. When investigating this situation on the web, I came across numerous websites with other individuals having the exact same problem I'm having. When I called Sony's Customer Service, they told me to return the console (for a small fee of $128) for them to fix. Why should I have to pay for something that is obviously a defect?
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