James Bond and Spiderman DVD Scam from Sony

[Henry911]

Over a month after applying for the "Free James Bond & Spiderman DVDs" offered by Sony I got back a standard letter rejecting my application on technical grounds. I suspect the idea is no one actually gets the items or only a tiny percentage of people purchasing the expensive TVs.

There is a load of paperwork to fill out then you fire it off to a PO Box in Diss Norlfolk. They ask for your original receipt - the only proof of purchase you have !

In my case I was also applying for the 5 year warranty at the same time - let's hope that doesn't turn out to be a scam as well. So I send 2 A4 sized copies of the receipt. The receipt was to the same address as the application for the DVDs so nothing fishy.

You have let yourselves down Sony. I was disappointed not to find the DVD in the packaging so I could enjoy 55 inches of 3D entertainment. We'd even spent a couple of hundred quid on 3D glasses (which don't come with the TV !) in readiness. All in all a disapointment.

I'm left thinking of the Hoover free flights scam of 1992.

[Billaricky]

Your spot on, although, I did get my DVD's....... Eventually, but, if you think Sony are bad, try the cashback deals that Samsung offer, the amount of hoops they get you to jump through is outrageous.

What some of these companies are up to is so transparent, they put obstacle after obstacle in your way hoping that you will just give up and not bother with the claim.

Were on to you fellas.

[Henry911]

The blu-ray player / Spiderman DVD is the biggest con. Spiderman was plastered all over the outer carton. Everyone assumes the DVD will be inside in the same way your game is when you buy a Sony Playstation / game combination (or do they try to con you out of the game as well by making you jump through hoops).

So you're on a bit of a downer from the start.

Anyway, a swift email to Shaun Dorrington UK head of marketing for Sony resulted in a message left on my mobile telling me my application had now miraculously been accepted and I needed to do nothing else. The DVDs would be winging their way to me forthwith.

Although there was a slight caveat in that the cheerful young lady told me there were huge delays in getting the items out at the moment so be prepared to wait a while. Hmm.... I heard a similar response from Hoover back in 1993 when trying to get my flights to America.

They did eventually offer some, 3 months away form any of my date choices and flying out of Aberdeen some 550 miles away. Oh, they left at around 6.30 in morning and arrived back 7 weeks later.

Over a month after buying the items I've almost lost the will to live, certainly our popcorn has gone very stale and the 3D glasses are starting to dig into our noses a little as we await the 3 dimensional extraviganza that is Spiderman 3D.

I wonder if Daniel Craig will still be James Bond by the time the Bond movies arrive.......

[Henry911]

Well here we are on Friday 5th of April and still nothing from Sony despite assurances following on from the email to Shaun Dorrington Sony, head of UK marketing.

I think it's fair to say that Sony have had more than enough chance now to do the right thing and supply the promised DVDs. If you genuinely intend to honour your promises then 3 months is sufficient time.

I could have made a feature film in the 3 months.

So it with great sadness that I have written off Sony's once proud corporate image. In Japan honour counts for everyhting. Payments to suppliers made on time, correct protocol and manners when meeting business colleagues, recognition of hierachy within an organisation.

All these things count for nothing at Sony. They say what ever lies are needed to sell product. They promise the earth and then renege once you money is in the bank.

The problem is when they lie about something as simple as supplying some DVDs how can they possibly be expected to honour a guarantee. If they won't supply DVDs costing a few pounds they are hardly likely to replace something costing thousands of pounds.

My advice would be to avoid Sony all together. They are not the only people who make consumer electronics. LG make great TVs, as do Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba. I am not aware that any of them lie to their customers in order to try and get them to buy their products. They let the TV do the talking.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. With it I suppose it's obvious that if a company offers free stuff to entice you into buying their product (which they subsequently fail to deliver) then the original item is either sub standard or over priced. I did strike me that I would rather have got a couple of pairs of 3D glasses included with the TV rather than having to go out and buy them, but of course the glasses would have been inside the box with no way sor Sony to subsequently con you out of them.

Google "xbox technical problems" or "red ring of death" and you will be met by a deluge of dissolusioned owners. Epidemic failure rates meant Microsoft's image was all but destroyed amongst gamers. Sony, makers of the Playstation must have been laughing all the way to the bank. Possibly they should look a little closer to home.

My faith in Sony electronic products has been destroyed.

Sony - you suck.

Message was edited by: Henry911