Medal of Dishonor: The new Playstation Customer Service Game at Jumbo Electronics

There’s a new game out there from Sony and Jumbo, and it’s about the fine art of post-sales customer rip off. I’m calling it the Medal of Dishonor. If you have mastered the art of using fine print, know how to really, really have dodgy customer service, have inventive ways of ignoring every rule in the Customer Relationship guidebook, and play Big Bad Bully because the poor customer has no choice – this game is for you.

The Sony/Jumbo Game is easy – and potentially, it comes free with every PS3 you buy here. This is what is apparently written in the Terms and Conditions of the Warranty. Buy a Playstion 3 here in the Middle East region, well, actually, here in Dubai from Jumbo and keep your fingers crossed. If perchance you have a Power Supply failure (my unit just went bust with a pop noise, similar to a silencer-fit handgun – gamers are familiar with this sfx), all you need to do is take it in to Jumbo for a fix-it. As luck would have it, my PS3 unit went bust literally a week after the 1-year warranty expired – so I am one of the lucky few who are playing this game!!.

I took it in to Jumbo at the Mall of the Emirates, and sure enough a couple of days later, I got an SMS message saying that the estimate amount for the repair was AED 1010. Imagine! The power supply unit cannot be costing any more than $20! And a whole new unit costs Dhs 1600!

I have asked the Jumbo guy (Ahmed on +9714 285 1485 xt 103) why it was so expensive. Surely a power supply unit couldn’t cost that much. He said, “no as per the Sony policy no PS3 units are repaired, but a new unit is given instead”. Now, why on earth should I have to pay for a new unit because I think a power supply unit went out and Sony won’t or can’t fix it?

I asked what the problem was but was given no answer. Apparently, no matter how small the problem was, the only thing Sony would do for me would be to replace my unit with a refurbished one. For Dhs 1010. That’s the cleverest, dirtiest, dodgiest way of after-sales revenue generation that I have ever come across in my 20+ years as a marketing professional.

Endgame: I did get resolution – not from Jumbo, but from Sony. I called and emailed Sony, and I am glad to say, they immediately actioned a follow up, and apparently have now arranged for a replacement piece (a refurbished set). I am astounded that I heard nothing from Jumbo. NOT A WORD! That's the WORST customer service experience I have ever had.