Claimants in the UK could be due a payout
Playstation users in the UK could be in line to receive a payout of over £500 in compensation thanks to a new lawsuit facing parent company Sony.
The lawsuit, which was filed by the Competition Appeal Tribunal on Friday August 19, represents nine million claimants, many of whom are expected to be in the UK. It claims that the company has overcharged customers by up to £5bn over the past six years by charging additional commission prices on digital games and in-store Playstation add-on purchases.
The overcharge is alleged to have been up to 30 per cent in additional commission costs, which could equate to payouts ranging between £67 and £562 per person.
The claim has been brought against the company by consumer rights champion Alex Neill and alleges that the company “ripped people off” by unfairly using its market power to implement unfair terms and restrictions on developers and game creators which in turn, boosted prices for unwitting consumers.
As per reports, anyone who has purchased a digital game or add-on since August 19 2016 could be due a payout to some degree – and we’re guessing that’s a lot of people.
Speaking about this development, Neill said: “The game is up for Sony PlayStation.
“With this legal action I am standing up for the millions of UK people who have been unwittingly overcharged. We believe Sony has abused its position and ripped off its customers.
“Gaming is now the biggest entertainment industry in the UK, ahead of TV, video and music and many vulnerable people rely on gaming for community and connection. The actions of Sony is costing millions of people who can’t afford it, particularly when we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis and the consumer purse is being squeezed like never before.”
Natasha Pearman, the partner leading this case echoed Neill’s statements, suggesting that “Sony dominates the digital distribution of PlayStation games and in-game content; it has deployed an anti-competitive strategy which has resulted in excessive prices to customers that are out of all proportion to the costs of Sony providing its services.
“This claim is only possible because of the opt-out collective action regime that was introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a regime which Alex fought to introduce. We are looking forward to working with Alex and making sure that the regime achieves its aims of protecting and compensating consumers.”
Playstation is yet to issue a statement regarding the lawsuit.
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