Sony Not Reimbursing UK/EU Retailers for OtherOS Functionality Refunds

Following up on a previous report regarding the UK customer who received a refund from Amazon after an inquiry regarding options for recourse after the 3.21 update, Sony has gone on record stating that it will not reimburse retailers who choose to refund customers under Directive 1999/44/EC regarding device functionality changes and compliance after initial purchase.

This places UK and European retailers between a rock and a hard place, to put it in one way, as they must honor the requests for refund if asked under the Directive, but the lack of reimbursement from Sony means that retailer and supplier profits will be affected as they seek to cover the losses from the refunds.

Another layer to the issue concerns the extent to which retailers can hold manufacturers responsible for such reimbursement as the current regulations do not force manufacturers to reimburse retailers, nor do they take into account incremental updates performed over an internet connection.

Despite those issues, many technology lawyers concede that the law is still tilted towards the rights of the consumer.