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PS Plus Members in Asia Irate As Sony Wipes Discounts on Tier Upgrades, Demands Upfront Fee for Stacked Subs [UP: Sony fixes error]

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Nydius

Member
People tried to get one over on Sony and it backfired, now wanna play victim of this turns out not to be the case of an error!
No one is trying to "get one over on Sony". This isn't the same as the people who tried to exploit the PSNow loophole. This is Sony fucking people over who bought more than one year of PS+ on sale by now trying to change the terms of their agreement post-purchase.

Fuck outta here with this corporate shilling.
 

kyliethicc

Member
So lemme get this straight and see if I understand it all.

Lets say someone bought 5 years of PS Plus in June 2021 for $50/year instead of $60/year.
That’s $250 total instead of $300, saving them $50. Stacked up their Plus sub til June 2026.
So in June 2022, person wants to upgrade their 4 remaining years to PS Plus Extra, which is $100/year.
So that would be 100-60 = $40 x 4 = $160 upgrade fee required up front.
But Sony knows they only paid $250 instead of $300, so they want that $50 on top of the $160, so it’s $210 total.

If that’s the case - well then that sucks ass, it’s greedy move.
But it’s not illegal as far as I know. At least in the USA.

The person still gets the 4 remaining years of Plus they paid for and does not need to upgrade.
The upgrade fee is a new legal voluntary transaction, just not a desirable or totally fair one.
 

Rea

Member
Its anti consumer Yes. But Sony also has a right to demand a price. Previously The discounted plan is for PS essential, they don't take away anything from the consumers, if they don't upgrade. If consumers are not happy with the price and don't upgrade, its Sony's loss. When more people are doing this, they will lose money, maybe at that time they will change their tune.
It's a shitty practice but they are within their rights.
 
it’s just fuel to shit on Sony when we all know there infrastructure is crap and has been that way for quite a while.
As defences go, that’s weaker than most :messenger_tears_of_joy:

“Leave Sony alone, they’re not greedy, they’re just shit…”

Not a good look either way and surprised this hasn’t been cleared up already, which makes me wonder if it was the plan. Perhaps explains the staggered launch? Road test it in a small market, see how angry people are…

My head still says mistake though, mainly because they surely aren’t this stupid.
 

ToadMan

Member
No one is trying to "get one over on Sony". This isn't the same as the people who tried to exploit the PSNow loophole. This is Sony fucking people over who bought more than one year of PS+ on sale by now trying to change the terms of their agreement post-purchase.

Fuck outta here with this corporate shilling.

Wrong. Sony isn’t changing the terms. If you bought ps plus before at whatever discount, you keep the same service going forward without paying a penny more.

This is only about users electing to change the service level they have and Sony calculating the fee for that change. Users aren’t compelled to change - it’s their choice.
 
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ToadMan

Member
So lemme get this straight and see if I understand it all.

Lets say someone bought 5 years of PS Plus in June 2021 for $50/year instead of $60/year.
That’s $250 total instead of $300, saving them $50. Stacked up their Plus sub til June 2026.
So in June 2022, person wants to upgrade their 4 remaining years to PS Plus Extra, which is $100/year.
So that would be 100-60 = $40 x 4 = $160 upgrade fee required up front.
But Sony knows they only paid $250 instead of $300, so they want that $50 on top of the $160, so it’s $210 total.

If that’s the case - well then that sucks ass, it’s greedy move.
But it’s not illegal as far as I know. At least in the USA.

The person still gets the 4 remaining years of Plus they paid for and does not need to upgrade.
The upgrade fee is a new legal voluntary transaction, just not a desirable or totally fair one.

Not quite - there’s only 4 years remaining to upgrade so it’s $40 more that Sony want to make up the difference.

You had 5 years that should have been 300 but discounted to 250. You’ve used one year so there is 200 dollar value left on your ps plus sub. Now you want to “trade in” that 200 to turn it into ps plus extra.

In fact the calculation seems to be $100 for extra - $50 for each year (4 remaining) = $200 to pay to reach the value of extra over the remaining 4 years of the sub.

Yes it’s very poor customer service either way. It seems like this is an all or nothing deal - you must pay the 200 to upgrade everything as far as I’ve seen so far. They won’t let you do it year by year for example - this is also not good.
 
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ToadMan

Member
My head still says mistake though, mainly because they surely aren’t this stupid.

Just one thing - has it occurred to you that Sony don’t want people to use this service?

I mean take my example - I had a PS4 all gen and got a PS5 within about a month of launch so I’m fairly deep into the ecosystem.

I already played and finished things like demons souls, still playing Returnal and bought a bunch of other stuff. So on the face of it this service isn’t much value to me.

However I didn’t get miles morales even though I really enjoyed the original Spider-Man game because I felt it was too expensive for the fun I’d get from it. I didn’t get AC:Valhalla either for the same reason, and a few other things that appears on the sub service now.

For me a month sub is probably worth it to play Miles and those other few things and then I won’t sub until new content comes.

Sony have effectively lost the potential sales of several games to me as a result. If I was a newer ps user and hadn’t already bought demons souls, returnal and maybe even PS4 stuff like ghost, this sub is incredible value. For less than one AAA game price you’re getting a year of access to several AAA GOTY contenders just from Sony - nevermind the 3rd party games that are there too.

I think they felt a need to give this service but they definitely don’t want it undersold or discounted and they probably are happy if most users just buy their games and this sub languishes on the side.

It wouldn’t surprise me if after a year Sony are happy to declare to subscription services a waste of effort if this ps plus stuff fails because it fits their view of the marketplace - they don’t want subs to work.
 
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kyliethicc

Member
Not quite - there’s only 4 years remaining to upgrade so it’s $40 more that Sony want to make up the difference.

You had 5 years that should have been 300 but discounted to 250. You’ve used one year so there is 200 dollar value left on your ps plus sub. Now you want to “trade in” that 200 to turn it into ps plus extra.

In fact the calculation seems to be $100 for extra - $50 for each year (4 remaining) = $200 to pay to reach the value of extra over the remaining 4 years of the sub.

Yes it’s very poor customer service either way. It seems like this is an all or nothing deal - you must pay the 200 to upgrade everything as far as I’ve seen so far. They won’t let you do it year by year for example - this is also not good.
Well sure but that was always what I expected. It’s not perfect but oh well.

It was obvious you’d logically pay a prorated fee to cover the difference of your remaining term.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Seems odd indeed, but I do wonder who would buy PS Plus for several years ahead? It's not that good.

Sometimes you can buy codes for so low prices that it feels like a missed opportunity. The one thing about these services is that if you buy codes from the right vendor, you can make a lot of savings over the course of a few years by how much money you save.

Game Pass and PS+ both allow you to do that. From a customer point of view it's not bad at all.
 

watdaeff4

Member
Just one thing - has it occurred to you that Sony don’t want people to use this service?

I mean take my example - I had a PS4 all gen and got a PS5 within about a month of launch so I’m fairly deep into the ecosystem.

I already played and finished things like demons souls, still playing Returnal and bought a bunch of other stuff. So on the face of it this service isn’t much value to me.

However I didn’t get miles morales even though I really enjoyed the original Spider-Man game because I felt it was too expensive for the fun I’d get from it. I didn’t get AC:Valhalla either for the same reason, and a few other things that appears on the sub service now.

For me a month sub is probably worth it to play Miles and those other few things and then I won’t sub until new content comes.

Sony have effectively lost the potential sales of several games to me as a result. If I was a newer ps user and hadn’t already bought demons souls, returnal and maybe even PS4 stuff like ghost, this sub is incredible value. For less than one AAA game price you’re getting a year of access to several AAA GOTY contenders just from Sony - nevermind the 3rd party games that are there too.

I think they felt a need to give this service but they definitely don’t want it undersold or discounted and they probably are happy if most users just buy their games and this sub languishes on the side.

It wouldn’t surprise me if after a year Sony are happy to declare to subscription services a waste of effort if this ps plus stuff fails because it fits their view of the marketplace - they don’t want subs to work.
If they didn’t want subs to work

I think it’s much more likely they wouldn’t have gone through all this effort, just killed PSNow and called it a day

Don’t over-analyze

They want subs to work, they are just trying to find that Goldilocks zone where they can maximize profit off is schlebs.
 

Corndog

Banned
Wrong. Sony isn’t changing the terms. If you bought ps plus before at whatever discount, you keep the same service going forward without paying a penny more.

This is only about users electing to change the service level they have and Sony calculating the fee for that change. Users aren’t compelled to change - it’s their choice.
Ya, it is their choice to get screwed over.
 
I was thinking about buying a new controller with their days of play sale and then remembered that Jim Ryan is still running the show and we get bullshit like this constantly from Sony these days. Also checked and the controllers are over $65 with tax ON SALE. No thanks.

Thanks for ruining a good thing. Go fuck yourself Jim.
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
I honestly think this is some kind of error and will be fixed by the time it comes to the west. Hope they have a clean way of reimbursing the people that have paid the upgrade fee in Asia.
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
Its not an error it seems, one of the user received reply from Playstation HK customer service, seems it was intended that way, shitty practice imo
 
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hemo memo

Gold Member
Pretend to be shocked
Surprised Meme GIF
 

yurinka

Member
No they don't.
Yes, it's a discount.

If you have a year of essential but you want a year of Premium you can buy it but it costs $120. Using the upgrade option to pay the difference from what is cheaper, so yo save money. But that discount doesn't seem to be enough for some concerned Karen drama queens.
 
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Mr.ODST

Member
Funny thing I see with these sony shills is the fact they are defending a company that earns an absolute shit to and forgetting most people stacked their sub through the PS Store.

Sony is an absolute joke
 

Godot25

Banned
Look like it is kinda confirmed?
Jyz9sSI.jpg


Translation

Thanks for contacting Play Station Support.

Questions about your inquiry about PlayStation Plus membership subscription price, thank you for your support. Since you purchased the PlayStation Plus membership at a discounted price at that time, this new PlavStation Plus membership is launched and there are two PlavStation Plus memberships that cannot enjoy other discounts:

1. PlayStation Plus membership bought with a discount.
2. PlayStation Plus membership redeemed with redemption code.

Therefore, if you need to upgrade to the second or third level of premium membership, you need to make up for the difference in the previous discounted price first to return to the normal price, for example: the one-year PlayStation Plus membership was HK$308, the discount price was HK$187.6, and the difference was 120.4X the number of days in the remaining month, please rest assured, if you need to upgrade, the system will automatically calculate the amount that needs to be paid back difference.

Of course, you can also choose to upgrade or downgrade the membership service according to your own preferences. If you do not upgrade, the PlayStation Plus membership service you are currently using will not be affected. Game discounts, monthly free games and online storage The usage rights of 100G of space remain unchanged, please rest assured.

Finally, we have recorded and dealt with your valuable comments, thank you for your support. I hope this helps. But if you have any other questions, please contact PlayStation Support and a support person on our team will be happy to assist you.
 

cireza

Member
Buyers will also have to refund all the money from every single game they bought at discount, and people will come to your house and check if you bought some physical games at discount. If you cannot provide the receipts, you will have to buy them again.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Look like it is kinda confirmed?
Jyz9sSI.jpg


Translation
So having 10 years of Plus stacked but then topping up with a 3 month Now card would have netted you 10 years of Premium, but Sony will make you pay the difference with no Now membership? 😂😂

Oh Sony you greedy greedy sods.
 

Hoppa

Member
So if I bought 12 months PS Plus during their annual discount around Christmas time I have to pay more than normal to upgrade to a premium tier? This shit is so confusing just like their ‘upgrade pathways’ for Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima
 
If this is true, im ditching Sony and will swittch to Xbox. Even though I didn't stack.

Nullifying discounts by incrementally upping the upgrade price is greed of a level never seen before.....
Sony being run by EA execs now, or what!?

If they dont do a 180 on this, I'll happily sell my PS5. No regrets.
Fuck. This. Shit.
 
The funniest part to me is Sony’s willingness to punish people for investing in their ecosystem long term who want to use their new service … and the cherry on top is some people defending it even though it fucks over people most likely to pay more money to Sony. Jimbo must be playing some 4D chess right now
 

BaneIsPain

Member
I don't realize there was a discount. I have yearly auto-renewal and upgrade to deluxe.
I've been playing wild arms all day.
 
I don't realize there was a discount. I have yearly auto-renewal and upgrade to deluxe.
I've been playing wild arms all day.
Sony likes you, Sony hates Bozos trying to get a 120 bucko service for 60 bucks a month.

Just like Microsoft hates me for only subscribing when they beg me to come back for a dollar.
 

Dream-Knife

Banned
If this is true, im ditching Sony and will swittch to Xbox. Even though I didn't stack.

Nullifying discounts by incrementally upping the upgrade price is greed of a level never seen before.....
Sony being run by EA execs now, or what!?

If they dont do a 180 on this, I'll happily sell my PS5. No regrets.
Fuck. This. Shit.
If this works, MS will likely follow suit.

The real answer is to not pay an internet tax.
 

20cent

Banned
Thanks to this news I've realized that I could upgrade my plan

but the 'classics' list is ridiculously small and bland and the PS4-PS5 included games I don't have at this point are games I've skipped on purpose so I'm good.
 
If this works, MS will likely follow suit.

The real answer is to not pay an internet tax.
MS has tried something similar with always online DRM and no reselling games. How did that turn out eventually?
The did a complete 180 on this to save themselves. I don't think they will be stupid enough to pull a stunt like Sony's.

They should observe and learn NOT to try fucking their playerbase in the ass the way Sony does..
 

Dream-Knife

Banned
MS has tried something similar with always online DRM and no reselling games. How did that turn out eventually?
The did a complete 180 on this to save themselves. I don't think they will be stupid enough to pull a stunt like Sony's.

They should observe and learn NOT to try fucking their playerbase in the ass the way Sony does..
If they can get away with it.

It's a closed platform, what are you going to do?

Aim of the game now is getting more money from your users and keep them trapped in your ecosystem. Apple is getting into banking just for that purpose.

Digital serfdom.
 
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Bojji

Member
Sony, you never disappoint.

I have few months left from -33% one year sub, let's see how will they charge in EU...
 

Naru

Member
If this works, MS will likely follow suit.

The real answer is to not pay an internet tax.
Not saying MS couldn't do it but the cheap Gold -> GamePass Ultimate conversion works since forever and they didn't have any competition for that service. Can't imagine they are doing it now while there is a sub service from their rival.
 
Sony looking at the immediate benefits of kicking customers in the face rather than the future benefits of being less anti consumer and giving something to the players. They are way more likely to keep subbing moving forward if you throw them a bone at this stage.
 

Godot25

Banned
If this works, MS will likely follow suit.

The real answer is to not pay an internet tax.
I don't think so.
Because right now Microsoft don't have suffocated customers who will eat everything just because "we have great first-party games" like Sony.

Sony built a loyal fanbase that they can now exploit to death and few of them will call them out. And kudos to them because their first-party offering is great. But that also means that they can treat their customers like shit.
Microsoft on the other hand need to stay as proconsumer as possible. That's why there is still possibility to stack 3 years of Gold and then convert it to GPU for 1$.

Sony is like Scrooge McDuck claiming every possible dollar they can earn. That's why you need to pay for next-gen upgrades, that's why they blocked stacking of PS Plus/PS Now, that's why they are now doing this. Microsoft is like "let's give them attractive proposition and lock them in our ecosystem so it is difficult to leave."
 
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Dream-Knife

Banned
Not saying MS couldn't do it but the cheap Gold -> GamePass Ultimate conversion works since forever and they didn't have any competition for that service. Can't imagine they are doing it now while there is a sub service from their rival.
The cheap deal is to get you into the ecosystem. Once your in, they want to trap you, then get more money from you. This is the stage Sony is at. They already have you, now they want more.

It'll be a few years before they can pull it off. Perhaps if they "win" the generation.
 

Fredrik

Member
Look like it is kinda confirmed?
Jyz9sSI.jpg


Translation
Sounds like they want everyone to pay the same price, no matter what.

Someone correct me because I can’t be right. As I understand it the loyal fans who invested big in the PS eco system and stacked cheap PS+ deals are the biggest losers here. If they want to upgrade from Essential to Premium they need to pay the discount for their whole stacked old PS+ period, effectively prepaying for years at full price. Otherwise they’re stuck at PS+ Essential. They can’t upgrade to Premium for a month or 3 months or a year?

How is the PS Now subscribers affected from this?
If we bought on discount, do we have to pay the full cost as well to get the Premium level we were promised to get without further payment?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
If this is true, im ditching Sony and will swittch to Xbox. Even though I didn't stack.
:messenger_tears_of_joy:

Nullifying discounts by incrementally upping the upgrade price is greed of a level never seen before.....

Charging £50 annually for online play, charging £10 for resolution and frame-rate upgrades, Xbox trying to double the annual price of Xbox Live Gold, £70 games, £70 games loaded with MTX - this whole industry is filled with greed.
 
:messenger_tears_of_joy:



Charging £50 annually for online play, charging £10 for resolution and frame-rate upgrades, Xbox trying to double the annual price of Xbox Live Gold, £70 games, £70 games loaded with MTX - this whole industry is filled with greed.
Even then, it's my choise to side with the less greedy of the 2.
Seeing MS track record with Gamepass. You get WAY more bang for your buck..
 
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