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PS+ trials: Don’t get caught out

Gamedot writer Joe Bennett finds it's easy to get stung by Sony and their PS+ trials.

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gamedot.co.uk
JoGam4857d ago (Edited 4857d ago )

Auto renew is mentioned in the terms and conditions before you buy.

It auto renewed for me one year but then I deactivated it. Didnt matter though cause I will continue being a Plus member as long as I can.

Gamedot4857d ago

Joe is making the point it goes against the rest of their system (auto-fund)

LocutusEstBorg4856d ago (Edited 4856d ago )

Bullshit article. The term auto-fund and every context in which it's used on the PS3 clearly means it automatically transfers from your credit card to your wallet without prompting you to first transfer to your wallet when you buy a game or some DLC.

A subscription is just that: a subscription. Your credit card will be charged periodically. It's the same when you buy any subscription online such as on file hosting websites or Office 365. You need to request a cancellation, even if you get one month free.

aCasualGamer4856d ago

Kurianofborg @

Are you mentally ill? Why do you call bull****? It is true, i posted a comment few weeks back stating the exact same thing. It happened to me aswell. My "auto-fund" was dechecked, but apparently it was overwritten when i tried the trial. After the trial was over it continued, and withdrew 17,99 from my credit card. Automatically charging me for the full three month fee.

Now just because it's a subscription doesn't mean i want them to withdraw my money as soon as the period has passed. Why else is there an option between 3 months and a year? You buy the amount you want. After 3 months, you're the one making the choice whether or not you liked the product and want more, they can't make that decision automatically and without your content.

This is an outrage, and i hope people pay attention to this.

I'm not saying the product itself is bad, i loved the games i tried out... but that was it. I didn't want anymore. PS Plus is a great product and a bright shine on this capitalistic industry, with that said. There is absolutely no excuse for them treating customers like a herd of money giving numb nuts.

Temporary4856d ago (Edited 4856d ago )

lol @ "this is an outrage"!

Are you guys adults? There are TONS of services that do this same exact thing, it's not a horrible business practice it's a subscription service.

If you feel like PS+ isnt for you, then just cancel the subscription, they wont cancel it for you. Be an adult and dont blame them for something you're responsible for.

hay4856d ago

Most of paid subscriptions use this strategy. It's kinda embedded into "paid subscription" name itself.
While they have this in their Terms and Conditions, this is something you declare you have read and agree completely to it. Which means a refund is only a matter of company's policy on this stuff, or of a person character you've contacted.
If one of you is an a-hole or a tool, no refund.

Which concludes to the main reason why is that: money-money-goooold.

xyyyr4856d ago

Pretty much every online subscription based service does this, including Live. At least with the PS3 it is easy to turn off. Some services do almost everything they can to stop you doing this by making the process a complete headache.

Sithlord-Gamble4856d ago

@Casual ...
It explicitly tells you when you purchase PS+ in the disclaimer that you will be billed for the next term when your subscription expires unless YOU deactivate the autopay feature.

Looks like somebody didn't read the fine print.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4856d ago
iamnsuperman4857d ago (Edited 4857d ago )

I agree and in a way it is our own fault for not reading the terms and conditions. Who reads them? I know I don't and I do wonder how much permission I am giving to these companies. Look at play.com had a clause in their terms and conditions that they could have our soul as a joke (think it was for either Halloween or for april fouls day).

All "free" trails do this system. Just read the terms and conditions

HammadTheBeast4856d ago

If you put your credit card in, of course it's going to auto renew. I'm pretty sure it even tells you that beforehand.

MaxXAttaxX4856d ago

Exactly. It's like Netflix, Gamefly and other subscription services. They'll renew unless you cancel.

garos824856d ago

To be fair there is a pop up warning after you"read"the terms and conditions that tells you about the auto fund.all you do is disable it from "my account"straight after and your good to go.

It's worth noting that it will be put back on to auto fund once you renew.Just like every other subscription service out there.

Snookies124857d ago

Isn't pretty much EVERY free trial like this on anything? Every time I sign up for a free trial of something online, it always states that you have to deactivate it before the trial ends or else it'll charge you at the end for a subscription.

Seraphim4857d ago

exactly... any type of membership such as this generally gets auto renewed. any trial that requires a card on file always states you must cancel before the trial is over otherwise it's assumed you want said subscription and are billed... Consumer error. I guess in the process he may be able to spread the word so others don't suffer the same fate but he'll find no sympathy here. If I recall when I used my 30 day trial it specifically stated somewhere that I saw it the subscription had to be canceled or it would auto renew.

Amplitude4857d ago

Not even the terms and conditions, it says it right on the info thing that comes up when you are about to subscribe to Plus.

Its like 10 lines. If you somehow didn't know that it's auto-renewing, you.... i dont even know haha

FamilyGuy4856d ago (Edited 4856d ago )

This is old news, Sony issued a warning about this exact thing when PS+ started and another warning was given after the outage happened and they gave us all a month trial AAAAAND it's ALSO in the TOS.

I bought a 3 month subscription a while back and the first thing I did was go in and shut off auto-renew. I was well informed that the setting would be changed to [on] when I subscribed. It was bold, right up front, extremely hard to miss.

stage884856d ago

Yeah, that's what I don't get.

He says 'it's easy to get stung'. Why would you want to pass up on continuing Plus?

WeaseL4856d ago (Edited 4856d ago )

Its not like anybody else does it :cough Netflix Lovefilm Blizzard and more who offer free trials.
They all want your cc details and hope you forget to cancel

aCasualGamer4856d ago (Edited 4856d ago )

It is true, this happened to me aswell.

4856d ago
andrewsqual4856d ago

@aCasualGamer Oh noes, now your gonna get 12 more PS3 and 6 Vita games handed to you. Fiddlesticks.

imdaboss14856d ago

Netflix, redbox instant, gamefly, and etc you have to cancel yourself or they keep charging..all companys do it..lame article

lfclee4856d ago (Edited 4856d ago )

I like the arcade games there fine but the price on ps3 title games is extortion on psn store !

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 4856d ago
aquamala4857d ago

just remember to turn auto-renew off every time you buy or extend your membership.

chukamachine4857d ago

That's abit naughty I have to say.

Once off, it should be left off unless you want it to be renewed.

GribbleGrunger4857d ago

Oooo, I'm glad I read this! I forgot to turn it off ... but it was my fault.

raWfodog4856d ago

Kudos for taking responsibility for your actions. Too many people find it easier to blame someone else for their lack of attention.

THC CELL4857d ago

I my self say don't worry it's worth leaving on

BLAKHOODe4857d ago

Playstation Plus is worth keeping and I don't plan to ever cancel, BUT I don't like a company dipping into my bank account without being aware of it. It's irresponsible and difficult to keep an accurate account of your finances that way.

Show all comments (65)
80°

(For Southeast Asia) New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

For Southeast Asia, new price changes.

Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
21d ago Replies(1)
BeHunted21d ago

Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses

andy8521d ago

Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price

Pergele20d ago

Whatever you say buddy, let's all wear the tinfoil hats.

IceKoldKilla20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

LMFAO Your comment alone says a lot more about you than anything else. When has one game not selling 10 million copies made a company raise the prices of their console? Then Xbox would be costing $5000 by now lol. You remind of the crazy drug addicts on the street rambling on about conspiracies. xD You sure you don't need a hug, buddy?

ChunkyMonk20d ago

One game that Sony payed $200 million for. lol
Also, you sure were quick to get triggered. Maybe your the one who needs a hug?

Eonjay20d ago

If nothing else, we should be united against the real issue here. AI and unnecessary tariffs that are effecting all gamers.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 20d ago
Athlon10121d ago (Edited 21d ago )

The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.

S2Killinit20d ago

Its not the war. Its the RAM issue.

jznrpg20d ago

War is causing gas prices to rise. Transport of everything requires gas so the prices of those items go up as well. So it does have an impact

Athlon10120d ago (Edited 20d ago )

The blockage of the Straight of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war has affected raw components used in semi-conductor manufacturing such as bromine, aluminum, and helium. Iran had attacked the liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in Qatar which is a large producer (1/3 globally) of helium which is used in semiconductor etching. So it's the both the war and the RAM crises.

badz14920d ago

Oh no...should I get the Pro now before the price increase?

80°

Former Xbox Exec Says Developers Didn't Want a Sony Monopoly

Former Xbox executive Ed Fries comments on the early days of Xbox, the opinion of Japanese game companies, and more.

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insider-gaming.com
34d ago Replies(2)
Reaper22_34d ago

I dont think that'll ever happen. But i must say back in the day, they were definitely trying because they were more cash rich than their competitors.

CosmicTurtle33d ago

I think MS were and still are the richer company. They tried to acquire Sega back in the day (and considered doing so again more recently), they obviously bought exclusivity to Halo which was originally shown as a Mac title. I don’t think as a company MS can claim the moral high ground here. It’s a wilful lack of self awareness.

Of course Sony would try exactly the same if they had the resources, but when the PS2 dominated the industry was in a much healthier place with an abundance of great third parties.

This has been a depressing generation as far as first party decisions are concerned. The fact we are debating business plans rather than which game is better is a sad reflection of the state of things.

Darkseeker34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

There was Nintendo as well, Sony wouldn't have had a monopoly. In fact, the world would be better today if Xbox never existed in the first place. They pretty much brought all bad practices we have today. We might have gotten all of it either way, but not this early. In term of franchises, I don't think there is anything Microsoft released that would actually be missed if it didn't exist. Even Halo the world wouldn't notice if Halo didn't exist.

S2Killinit33d ago

MS was definitely a bad influence on gaming.

raWfodog34d ago

I think almost everyone will agree that a monopoly is not good for the industry. But that being said, the competition needs to be smart and strategic with their business. Simply buying up publishers and traditional third-party studios just to keep them out of the other companies reach is not a sustainable practice. That goes for all parties so don't think I'm just referring to Xbox.

I'm no business guru by any stretch of the imagination but I firmly believe that the best way to drive consumers to your software and hardware is to invest smart in your first-party studios. Give them full support and guidance in making unique, fun games that are only available to play in your ecosystem and the gamers will come.

Reaper22_34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

But first party studios aren't enough. They only make up a small portion of the industry. Without 3rd party there would be no industry for Microsoft or sony.Developing games take time and money and sometimes you gotta make moves to stay competitive.

raWfodog34d ago

Nah, I never said first-party was enough. I said it’s the ‘best way’ to drive gamers to your platform. 3rd-party is a free-for-all and there’s no guarantee that gamers will use your hardware to play the game. If you want to push your own software and/or hardware you need first-party, or at least exclusive deals with third-party studios.

SimpleDad34d ago

They Shure did a great job... 25 years later Xbox is dead.

Reaper22_34d ago

Then why be so emotional and continue to talk about it. Xbox will never die be ause it stays in so many people's head.

lodossrage34d ago

How can you even see him being "emotional" in that comment?

If anything, you're the emotional one, constantly trying to go at anyone that says anything against Microsoft. So when you call him emotional, it comes off as deflection

Elda33d ago

I own an XBSX & I can say it's becoming irrelevant out of the 3 current consoles.

34d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (34)
40°

Sony Shows Off 20 Minutes of Crimson Desert on a Base PS5

Sony uploaded gameplay footage of Crimson Desert on a base PS5 running in what appears to be Quality Mode at a stable 30fps at 4K.

Read Full Story >>
powerupgaming.co.uk
BlazedKong60d ago

looks god awful on the base systems