RIP Lik-Sang [Archive] - PSO-World.com

BrandonBa2

Oct 24, 2006, 10:06 AM

Tue Oct 24 2006 21:58:51 Hong Kong Time - Corporate Info

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - OUT OF BUSINESS NOTICE

Hong Kong, October 24th of 2006 - Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful.

As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.
http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=3901

Such a good site for imports.

RIP Lik-Sang

Feelmirath

Oct 24, 2006, 10:09 AM

I find it hilarious that it shuts down on the release day of PSU XD

Fate conspired against some importers, ne?

Dhylec

Oct 24, 2006, 10:11 AM

Hm.. if it's true, then too bad for many importers. Perhaps, importing will be now undergound?

Mazoku

Oct 24, 2006, 10:17 AM

This really is some BS. I'm concerned that this could be the first in a long chain of lawsuits by Sony...

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 24, 2006, 11:14 AM

On 2006-10-24 08:09, Feelmirath wrote:
I find it hilarious that it shuts down on the release day of PSU XD

Fate conspired against some importers, ne?

LIKE MEE!! D: i was soo snugg a few min ago till i found this out, and i adoooooored lik-sangs lightning fast shipping.

On Tue Oct 24 2006 21:58:51, Lik-Sang.com wrote
..and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.

THAT Ladys and gentlemen, is customer service, even, till, the, end!

Sony, oh dear sony, I never knew the current downward fall of your profits would make you take such desperate measures. Money may mighty in the corporate world, but you do not fuck your clients over like this just to stay alive. I hope you're happy :J

Alucard_Zer0

Oct 24, 2006, 11:31 AM

DAMNIT! that sucks i got my ASCII gamecube controller/keyboard there. and i had plans to buy various other stupid things from that site as well mannn as if my day didnt suck already

[ This Message was edited by: Alucard_Zer0 on 2006-10-24 09:42 ]

HUnewearl_Meira

Oct 24, 2006, 11:51 AM

"ASCII" not "ASKII"-- it stands for American Standard Coode for Information Interchange.

Anyway. It looks like Sony's out to give us more reasons to boycott them, aren't they? http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_disapprove.gif

I've never personally been one to openly boycott anyone or anything, but dammit, I rather liked Lik-Sang, and I wasn't really a fan of Sony to begin with. Now they're just making a nuisance of themselves.

Kou-Diacyper

Oct 24, 2006, 11:59 AM

Goob job there Sony.

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 24, 2006, 12:28 PM

90% of the page is actually flooded with comments by people who our outraged at sony including myself!
..This could get huge http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_eek.gif

rbf2000

Oct 24, 2006, 12:36 PM

It could, however, it most likely won't. The people that shopped at lik-sang are most likely more informed buyers (they have to be, or else they wouldn't know about it) who already know to shop for items based on more than the brand (something Sony rely on heavily). So while they may have pissed off some hardcore people, it's not enough people to hurt them, and plus, they were most likely not the biggest sony purchasers anyway.

Average Joe is still going to walk into a Circuit City and by a Sony TV, receiver, speakers, head unit, whatever.

I loved lik-sang, and used them a couple of times myself, but unfortunately, the commotion they are starting is not large enough to do anything to hurt them.

BlueDagger

Oct 24, 2006, 12:52 PM

Sony is an evil american corperation! The only reason I even have a PlayStation(2) is becuase most Final Fantasy games are PS2 only, and I sometimes like to use my codebreaker.... okay all the time....

darthsaber9x9

Oct 24, 2006, 12:53 PM

What a load of shite. I don't see how it affects sony in any way, the consoles have still been purchased, they still get their money. Although, can they still sell other companies products?

HUnewearl_Meira

Oct 24, 2006, 12:54 PM

On 2006-10-24 10:52, BlueDagger wrote:
Sony is an evil american corperation!

Sony is Japanese, actually. Contrary to popular conspiracy theory, SONY does not stand for Standard Oil of New York.

Sega, on the other hand, was founded by an American Navy enlisted man stationed in Japan, and for a long period of time in the 1970's (stretching into the 1980's, if I remember right), was owned by Paramount. Sega might be constrewed, therefore, to be an American corporation by heritage, while Japanese by nationality.

[ This Message was edited by: HUnewearl_Meira on 2006-10-24 10:57 ]

BlueDagger

Oct 24, 2006, 01:06 PM

On 2006-10-24 10:54, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:

On 2006-10-24 10:52, BlueDagger wrote:
Sony is an evil american corperation!

Sony is Japanese, actually. Contrary to popular conspiracy theory, SONY does not stand for Standard Oil of New York.

Sega, on the other hand, was founded by an American Navy enlisted man stationed in Japan, and for a long period of time in the 1970's (stretching into the 1980's, if I remember right), was owned by Paramount. Sega might be constrewed, therefore, to be an American corporation by heritage, while Japanese by nationality.

[ This Message was edited by: HUnewearl_Meira on 2006-10-24 10:57 ]

http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_eek.gif

To darthsaber9x9:

This way they get money from the store buying their product in the first place, and now they get even more money form a lawsuit. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif I'd probably be pretty good at ruling a hell-spawned corperation.... http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

twobells

Oct 24, 2006, 02:00 PM

http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=3901

I got this email about my pre order for the ps3 and PSU 360.

tb

Bleemo

Oct 24, 2006, 02:01 PM

OWNED!

Alpha-Hunter

Oct 24, 2006, 02:02 PM

that sucks. though I always used play asia.

BrandonBa2

Oct 24, 2006, 02:02 PM

Old by like 4 hours http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif

twobells

Oct 24, 2006, 02:04 PM

On 2006-10-24 12:02, Alpha-Hunter wrote:
that sucks. though I always used play asia.

They'll be next http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

And btw, i had the email hours ago but as there wasn't a single post on it I could find thought I'd add one.

tb

Saigan

Oct 24, 2006, 02:08 PM

This further cements my hatred for how sony does business.

"You know what would be fun? Let's charge 600$ for the PS3 and only make 400,000 available at launch."

Meanwhile people are only after the system so they can hawk it on eBay... hell, I'm one of those people.

Eviltaru

Oct 24, 2006, 02:44 PM

screw Sony all the way!

HUnewearl_Meira

Oct 24, 2006, 02:51 PM

On 2006-10-24 11:06, BlueDagger wrote:
http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_eek.gif

To darthsaber9x9:

This way they get money from the store buying their product in the first place, and now they get even more money form a lawsuit. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif I'd probably be pretty good at ruling a hell-spawned corperation.... http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

Actually, Sony is losing money on console sales (which is apparently normal). As far as the Game Industry is concerned, they make their money by selling licenses to developers to develop games on their console.

Blitzkommando

Oct 24, 2006, 03:28 PM

For a little more information I saw this article at Tom's Hardware about the ordeal: http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/10/24/lik_sang_sony/

Oh, well. I was already boycotting Sony for their previous debacles with root kits and other copy protection methods that I see as far too extreme with their limitations on the Joe Schmoe user-base.

DizzyDi

Oct 24, 2006, 03:53 PM

FINALLY, VALID REASON TO BASH SONY!
Now all you Sony haters actually have a real reason to hate them besides thier over-confidence and high priced console.
YESSSSSS!

Deathscythealpha

Oct 24, 2006, 04:40 PM

Gyah! Found out about this today just as I got some spare cash together to get myself Bleach GC and Naruto Ninja Taisen 3, what a kick in the nuts. Hopefully I can find both titles on Play Asia, but they're not as cheap as Lik Sang was.

BrandonBa2

Oct 24, 2006, 06:04 PM

Lets all hope for Play Asia to not get pwned by sony

Getintothegame

Oct 24, 2006, 07:05 PM

I really don't understand what the problem is? Wasnt Sony making money either way?

[ This Message was edited by: Getintothegame on 2006-10-24 17:06 ]

Neith

Oct 24, 2006, 07:28 PM

Sony really phail.

What next, interrogation to make us all buy PS3's?
GTFO of the gaming industry, PLEASE, stop making people's lives a misery.

Apparently this isn't the first time lik-sang has been shut down, so hopefully it'll be back up. To be honest, I think it's pretty disgraceful that Europe can't buy import PSP's- we get left out of the gaming calendar by so many developers anyway, why make things worse?

WhatI find amusing is that Sony claim this infringes on copyright. But Sony and Microsoft infringed on a patent when they incorporated vibration into their controllers...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immersion_Corporation

Also, look at 'PS3 controller motion sensitivity'. ¬_¬

I'm pretty sure Sony are just TRYING to fall out of the games business, it's sad so many people will back them until the end.

DizzyDi

Oct 24, 2006, 07:51 PM

On 2006-10-24 17:28, UrikoBB3 wrote:

I'm pretty sure Sony are just TRYING to fall out of the games business, it's sad so many people will back them until the end.

As long as Sony consoles keep having the good games, I couldn't care less what other mess they do. As long as it doesn't interfere with MY gaming. And I don't import so I really don't care.

Blitzkommando

Oct 25, 2006, 01:08 AM

On 2006-10-24 17:51, DizzyDi wrote:

On 2006-10-24 17:28, UrikoBB3 wrote:

I'm pretty sure Sony are just TRYING to fall out of the games business, it's sad so many people will back them until the end.

As long as Sony consoles keep having the good games, I couldn't care less what other mess they do. As long as it doesn't interfere with MY gaming. And I don't import so I really don't care.

"As long as it doesn't affect me, I don't care if the Nazis kill all the Jews. Afterall, I'm not Jewish and don't plan to become Jewish. Because, in the end, I get some nice highways out of it."

"Just because they did illegal business practices I don't care, because I wasn't an investor in Enron. Afterall, I still got their energy."

"Sure they build horribly unsafe power stations that have blown up and irradiated the majority of the Ukraine and Belarus but the Soviet Atomic Energy Department still provided me with power so I don't care about Chernobyl or the Urals."

Sinue_v2

Oct 25, 2006, 01:41 AM

As I've said before... I don't think Sony actually makes games and consoles. That's just a side effect. Sony is actually a social experiment to see just how much shit they can heap upon their customers and still get them to buy their product.

Neith

Oct 25, 2006, 04:20 AM

Point proven I guess, it's sad people will still back a company whose 'business' practises are like Sony's.

On 2006-10-24 23:41, Sinue_v2 wrote:
As I've said before... I don't think Sony actually makes games and consoles. That's just a side effect. Sony is actually a social experiment to see just how much shit they can heap upon their customers and still get them to buy their product.

Given the situation, I can agree with that http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

DizzyDi

Oct 25, 2006, 06:43 AM

On 2006-10-24 23:08, Norvekh wrote:

On 2006-10-24 17:51, DizzyDi wrote:

On 2006-10-24 17:28, UrikoBB3 wrote:

I'm pretty sure Sony are just TRYING to fall out of the games business, it's sad so many people will back them until the end.

As long as Sony consoles keep having the good games, I couldn't care less what other mess they do. As long as it doesn't interfere with MY gaming. And I don't import so I really don't care.

"As long as it doesn't affect me, I don't care if the Nazis kill all the Jews. Afterall, I'm not Jewish and don't plan to become Jewish. Because, in the end, I get some nice highways out of it."

"Just because they did illegal business practices I don't care, because I wasn't an investor in Enron. Afterall, I still got their energy."

"Sure they build horribly unsafe power stations that have blown up and irradiated the majority of the Ukraine and Belarus but the Soviet Atomic Energy Department still provided me with power so I don't care about Chernobyl or the Urals."

Nice one Norvekh! Those are all completely EXTREME examples.
The thing is, Sony isn't doing anything illegal or overly harmful to anyone.
No one is dying. Just now some people will have to go to a different source for thier imports. Boo-Hew.
Sony is STILL going to succeed. People are STILL willing to buy the PS3. And developers are STILL backing up the console.

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 25, 2006, 08:20 AM

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:

Nice one Norvekh! Those are all completely EXTREME examples.
The thing is, Sony isn't doing anything illegal or overly harmful to anyone.
No one is dying.

Dude, were you not alive during Nintendos suffering over the past 11 years? 0_o

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:
Just now some people will have to go to a different source for thier imports. Boo-Hew.

It's one thing to not care + continue buying sony products, it's another thing to rub it in people like i 's faces. Lik-Sang wasnt just "some games store" they excelled in customer service, you find an online gaming store which actually still does now-a-days.

Think abit further if you will.. think about how many jobs were lost, and how many people had orders anticipating their shipment. Also those people who will not be able to find products only sold by the store.

..Ofcorse, it's easier not to giv a crap now isnt it? :>

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:
Sony is STILL going to succeed. People are STILL willing to buy the PS3. And developers are STILL backing up the console.

Except now third party game developers have two other systems that can do pretty much everything the ps3 can + the guaranty that the consoles will actually be in demand.

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 06:28 ]

Neith

Oct 25, 2006, 08:45 AM

In full agreement with DrizaSiegmund here, lik-sang was a great site, with excellent customer services.

Thing is, you can say 'go to another import site', but Sony seem to be intent on causing chaos in the industry, so it wouldn't surprise me if they try and shut down other sites too.

As far as i can see now, Sony won't be getting any more of my money. I don't support their actions of late, mainly to do with the PSP and PS3. Seems like everything I've had from Sony has sucked anyway http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

I still don't agree with how lik-sang was shut down, shame to see it go.

DizzyDi

Oct 25, 2006, 09:04 AM

On 2006-10-25 06:20, DrizaSiegmund wrote:

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:

Nice one Norvekh! Those are all completely EXTREME examples.
The thing is, Sony isn\\\'t doing anything illegal or overly harmful to anyone.
No one is dying.

Dude, were you not alive during Nintendos suffering over the past 11 years? 0_o
You mean suffering as in Nintendo taking 3rd place in the console race? That\\\'d be Nintendo\\\'s fault for not being able to compete with Microsoft and Sony.

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:
Just now some people will have to go to a different source for thier imports. Boo-Hew.

It\\\'s one thing to not care + continue buying sony products, it\\\'s another thing to rub it in people like i \\\'s faces. Lik-Sang wasnt just \\\"some games store\\\" they excelled in customer service, you find an online gaming store which actually still does now-a-days.

Think abit further if you will.. think about how many jobs were lost, and how many people had orders anticipating their shipment. Also those people who will not be able to find products only sold by the store.

..Ofcorse, it\\\'s easier not to giv a crap now isnt it? :>
Okay people lost thier jobs, I\\\'ll give you that one. Thats a sad thing. But people act like Microsoft hasn\\\'t done similar things, yet they still buy the 360.

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:
Sony is STILL going to succeed. People are STILL willing to buy the PS3. And developers are STILL backing up the console.

Except now third party game developers have two other systems that can do pretty much everything the ps3 can + the guaranty that the consoles will actually be in demand.

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 06:28 ]

2 other systems? 360, maybe. But the other one? I hope you don\\\'t mean the Wii. Not only that but have you SEEN 360 sales in Japan? They\\\'re horrid. Now I can\\\'t say for sure but I\\\'m willing to bet money the Japanese public wants the Ps3.

Kevino

Oct 25, 2006, 09:14 AM

whats with all of the \\\\\\'s

Sinue_v2

Oct 25, 2006, 09:28 AM

Nintendo's suffering over the past 11 years? Where the hell was that sympathy for the 10 years that Nintendo kept Sega down? Half of those years they were doing so by illegally contracting 3rd parties, which - by the way - flooded to the Genesis after Nintendo's practices were put to an end. It wasn't a break out success because it was more powerful hardware. It was a success because it had a ton of games from third parties who were tired of putting up with Nintendo's shit.

I like Nintendo, and their games... but they are NO angels, and they are the absolute LAST company to get sympathy for being "held down" by a dominant competetor. As much as I dislike Sony and their practices - I would rather see them retain the top spot than to ever see Nintendo dominate the industry again.

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 25, 2006, 09:53 AM

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:

Sony is STILL going to succeed. People are STILL willing to buy the PS3. And developers are STILL backing up the console.

Except now third party game developers have two other systems that can do pretty much everything the ps3 can + the guaranty that the consoles will actually be in demand.

2 other systems? 360, maybe. But the other one? I hope you don't mean the Wii. Not only that but have you SEEN 360 sales in Japan? They're horrid. Now I can't say for sure but I'm willing to bet money the Japanese public wants the Ps3.

Do two things before you continue this conversation,
1. leave your shoes at the door.
2. leave your bias at the door too.

Ofcorse Japanese gamers would rather own a ps3 than an xbox360, that says nothing about if the shoe was on the other foot software-wise.

On 2006-10-25 07:28, Sinue_v2 wrote:
Nintendo's suffering over the past 11 years? Where the hell was that sympathy for the 10 years that Nintendo kept Sega down? Half of those years they were doing so by illegally contracting 3rd parties, which - by the way - flooded to the Genesis after Nintendo's practices were put to an end. It wasn't a break out success because it was more powerful hardware. It was a success because it had a ton of games from third parties who were tired of putting up with Nintendo's shit.

I like Nintendo, and their games... but they are NO angels, and they are the absolute LAST company to get sympathy for being "held down" by a dominant competetor. As much as I dislike Sony and their practices - I would rather see them retain the top spot than to ever see Nintendo dominate the industry again.

I disagree with you, and imean it's ok to feel the way you do. But the level of care Nintendo takes in their customers serpasses both Sega AND Sony.
With sega - take the recent Gaurdians License incident for example (and that's just one).
With sony - take the fact that burn pixeled psps will not be refunded as opposed to DSs. I could go on about Sony but the reason i'm sticking up for Nintendo is ofcorse their quality and customer care, nuff said.
O_o>

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 07:55 ]

Sinue_v2

Oct 25, 2006, 10:41 AM

So... good customer service is all it takes for a company to be a total son of a bitch and repress the industry?

Nintendo is getting what they had comming to them for a long time now as far as I'm concerned. There's a lot of reasons to like Nintendo, their excellent customer service and hardware is just ONE reason. But that doesn't mean there aren't those of us out there who, by the same token, remember what they're capable of at the top of the market - and in their way it's no better than what Sony is currently doing.

Feelmirath

Oct 25, 2006, 11:01 AM

On 2006-10-25 08:41, Sinue_v2 wrote:There's a lot of reasons to like Nintendo, their excellent customer service and hardware is just ONE reason.
Isn't that TWO reasons? http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

Alucard_Zer0

Oct 25, 2006, 11:33 AM

2 other systems? 360, maybe. But the other one? I hope you don't mean the Wii. Not only that but have you SEEN 360 sales in Japan? They're horrid. Now I can't say for sure but I'm willing to bet money the Japanese public wants the Ps3.

actually the 360 is doing rather well in japan. its pretty much sold out

the 360 sold about 100 units in 5 minutes! On Amzon Japan, it sold 10,000 unit in 20 minutes! But why you may ask? Well its all because of one game, Blue Dragon. The Japanese are just loving it, and rightfully so, this is the original creator of the Final Fantasty series after all.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/widappy/archives/51217696.html

[ This Message was edited by: Alucard_Zer0 on 2006-10-25 09:35 ]

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 25, 2006, 11:38 AM

On 2006-10-25 08:41, Sinue_v2 wrote:
So... good customer service is all it takes for a company to be a total son of a bitch and repress the industry?

LOL no, but sony has repressed the industry in addition to terrible service. Your missing the significance of "good customer service" my dear. For a busy corporate company to still actually care for the little people is actually worth aloooooooot.
And you can't just "give" good service like it was a toy included in a happy meal, Good service is a goal some companies maintain via audits of their original business standards, aka you'd have to want to care from the very begining kthanks.
Kojima productions are another example of what it means to show a duty of care (regarding Metal Gear Online for EU)

On 2006-10-25 08:41, Sinue_v2 wrote:
Nintendo is getting what they had comming to them for a long time now as far as I'm concerned. There's a lot of reasons to like Nintendo, their excellent customer service and hardware is just ONE reason. But that doesn't mean there aren't those of us out there who, by the same token, remember what they're capable of at the top of the market - and in their way it's no better than what Sony is currently doing.

Because you say so?

Sinue_v2

Oct 25, 2006, 11:48 AM

Because you say so?

That's how I feel about it.

Oji_Retta

Oct 25, 2006, 11:52 AM

I'm tired of all this crying. A lot of you are being childish. Business is cruel and heartless. The goal of a company is to make as much money as possible while playing by the rules and even breaking the rules and getting away with it. You are supposed to crush your competitors and keep them down. If it is not profitable to the company you crush it. Plain and simple, eh? All companies do the same thing whether it is MS, Sony, Nintendo, etc. Whenever a company is on top it will be the big bad giant. Why are you crying? You expected something different? This is reality.

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 25, 2006, 11:58 AM

You know what's reality? Me having experience in the corporate world for 2 years now.
You really need to not assume all companies put greed first <_<
While alot of companies main goal is to raise profits where possible, not each one runs off the "better you than i" policy.
And to be honest im abit sick of the outside opinion of "the corporate world is full of ppl who dont actually giv a **** it's all about money".

If you took the time to think diffrently, you would realise how important a-business Lik-Sang was.

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 10:07 ]

Oji_Retta

Oct 25, 2006, 12:10 PM

On 2006-10-25 09:58, DrizaSiegmund wrote:
You really need to not assume all companies put greed first <_<

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 10:03 ]

That is just naive. You want to know why? It is because they do put greed first unless they are non-profit organizations. And guess what? The companies we are talking about are not non-profit organizations. For companies, money is the first priority. Everything else comes after money.

Feelmirath

Oct 25, 2006, 12:41 PM

On 2006-10-25 10:10, Oji_Retta wrote:

On 2006-10-25 09:58, DrizaSiegmund wrote:
You really need to not assume all companies put greed first <_<

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 10:03 ]

That is just naive. You want to know why? It is because they do put greed first unless they are non-profit organizations. And guess what? The companies we are talking about are not non-profit organizations. For companies, money is the first priority. Everything else comes after money.

If all companies put greed first, we'd be spending £40 on an empty box.

Solstis

Oct 25, 2006, 12:56 PM

No one would buy an empty video game box, unless the market demanded it for some reason.

Companies care about customers because it sells. Sony doesn't need to, because it has enough cash and loyal fans anyway. So, if Nintendo thought that it could get away with consumer-rape like Sony, it would. But, well, it can't, so it must appear to be customer friendly by doing so.

Sorry, Feel, bit optimistic there.

Oji_Retta

Oct 25, 2006, 01:02 PM

On 2006-10-25 10:41, Feelmirath wrote:

On 2006-10-25 10:10, Oji_Retta wrote:

On 2006-10-25 09:58, DrizaSiegmund wrote:
You really need to not assume all companies put greed first <_<

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-25 10:03 ]

That is just naive. You want to know why? It is because they do put greed first unless they are non-profit organizations. And guess what? The companies we are talking about are not non-profit organizations. For companies, money is the first priority. Everything else comes after money.

If all companies put greed first, we'd be spending £40 on an empty box.

>_> If you are serious, I'll laugh. If a company could get away with selling you empty boxes, it would. If they promised a product and it was not delivered, the consumer can sue (in the USA, people are sue-happy). But I will say again that if a company could get away with it, the company would do it if it were profitable. If life-insurance was not a profitable enterprise, there would be no such thing (unless it was government run like welfare). Case closed. It is about greed which is the same thing as saying it is about money. And by the way, customer service is like any other tool a company uses to keep you buying its product. Its not that they care about you. Its that if they didn't provide good service, they couldn't make money off of you. If it becomes profitable to be assholes, companies will become assholes. What are you guys not comprehending?

On 2006-10-25 10:56, Solstis wrote:
No one would buy an empty video game box, unless the market demanded it for some reason.

Companies care about customers because it sells. Sony doesn't need to, because it has enough cash and loyal fans anyway. So, if Nintendo thought that it could get away with consumer-rape like Sony, it would. But, well, it can't, so it must appear to be customer friendly by doing so.

Sorry, Feel, bit optimistic there.

Quoted For Truth

[ This Message was edited by: Oji_Retta on 2006-10-25 11:04 ]

astuarlen

Oct 25, 2006, 01:13 PM

From some of the reactions I've heard, it sounds more like Sony came over to certain people's houses and personally hacked up their dogs into kibbles and bits. I mean, that's the kind of thing an evil corporation like Sony would do, amirite?
My opinion probably doesn't count since I don't import--well, I don't really play games at all anymore--but while it's a shame this particular retailer went under--and only because people (how many, I don't know) lost jobs--it doesn't sound like anything unusually vicious.
Making money is the objective of this game, folks. Competition is a part of it, and casualties are inevitable if regretable.

On 2006-10-25 10:41, Feelmirath wrote:
If all companies put greed first, we'd be spending £40 on an empty box.

Only if you're stupid enough to buy a non-product. Ultimately, most companies are not out to make you happy. That's not why they sell a product or render a service; rather, they generally offer a quality product to encourage consumers to buy it. Customer service is part of this equation--part of building a reputation and attracting or keeping customers. I doubt most businesses, especially larger ones, are in it for the warm fuzzies; the execs want money, the employees want money, the shareholders want money.

Edit: Of course, Solly and Oji got there first...

[ This Message was edited by: astuarlen on 2006-10-25 11:15 ]

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 25, 2006, 01:26 PM

On 2006-10-25 10:10, Oji_Retta wrote:

On 2006-10-25 09:58, DrizaSiegmund wrote:
You really need to not assume all companies put greed first <_<

That is just naive. You want to know why? It is because they do put greed first unless they are non-profit organizations.

You know what.. imana leave you in your ignorance you seem to be having fun :J

On 2006-10-25 10:56, Solstis wrote:
Sorry, Feel, bit optimistic there.

No no dont apologise you're allowed to be.

On 2006-10-25 10:56, Solstis wrote:
No one would buy an empty video game box, unless the market demanded it for some reason.

Companies care about customers because it sells.

Correct, and im not asking a company to care enough to cater to little ol' me specifically, cause im not self-centered, but if a company cares enough about profit to actually provide to its customers then it lets me know im not going to get f*cked over by them (ala: sony upsettingly failing to provide the HDD to eu gamers, dont start me).

Oji_Retta

Oct 25, 2006, 02:05 PM

On 2006-10-25 11:26, DrizaSiegmund wrote:

Correct, and im not asking a company to care enough to cater to little ol' me specifically, cause im not self-centered, but if a company cares enough about profit to actually provide to its customers then it lets me know im not going to get f*cked over by them (ala: sony upsettingly failing to provide the HDD to eu gamers, dont start me).

See, the smaller companies know they have to give good service or they will flop. They give you something so you keep them alive. The bigger ones won't flop even if they have bad service. They make it on the product or brand alone. I'm just saying you can praise the smaller ones for good service but it is just a gimmick. You can hate the bigger ones for bad service, but that is to be expected. If they can F you over and get away with it, they will. There is no use bitching about it because that is how it works is all I am saying. Walmart is such a sad, sad place with its greeters and what not.

[ This Message was edited by: Oji_Retta on 2006-10-25 12:07 ]

Blitzkommando

Oct 25, 2006, 02:35 PM

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:

The thing is, Sony isn't doing anything illegal or overly harmful to anyone.

Actually, they DID do some illegal activities, such as the root kits I mentioned earlier. Maybe you didn't hear about that debacle living under your rock, and I'll share that with you now.

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html

Installing programs without the end user's consent is completely, and entirely, ILLEGAL. The fact that the files were hidden, AND could not be uninstalled by normal means is also thoroughly disgusting.

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/more-on-sony-dangerous-decloaking.html

The same person that discovered this problem also confirmed that it is a dialer, phoning home every time the CD is played on the computer. That in itself is a nasty surprise, even if it is supposedly just to 'update' album art. The fact that Sony didn't even perform correct safety measures for driver install also caused direct harm and damage to users who did use it and potentially lost data from the associated blue-screen. So, apparently SOMEONE was hurt.

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/sonys-rootkit-first-4-internet.html

The fact Sony and First 4 Internet deny issues already proven is also disgusting. The fact that the user must give up an e-mail address that will possibly be put on a mailing list (or lists) just to get a rather borked uninstall that doesn't exactly uninstall is also thoroughly disgusting.

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/sony-no-more-rootkit-for-now.html

The final nail in the coffin is that the rootkits were exploited by virus makers. People were hurt, and did lose. Since then I have lost all respect for Sony and essentially wish to never do business with them ever again. If they are this willing to 'protect' themselves I have no doubt they'll do something similar in the future. I'm sorry, but even though I wasn't a victim, I still am so thoroughly disgusted with this behavior that I won't touch their products again. The fact that it took Microsoft to clean up Sony's FU just adds to my level of distrust and disgust of Sony.

Mind you, this wasn't the first time Sony pulled something like this, just the first time that I heard of it. Way back in 2002 they had a similar debacle that would crash Windows computers and cripple iMacs to the point of requiring a system level repair.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/14/marker_pens_sticky_tape_crack/

For even more information check here: http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/14/sony_anticustomer_te.html

Oji_Retta

Oct 25, 2006, 05:16 PM

If you are disgusted by Sony's behavior whether past or present, you should be disgusted with practically every major corporation and even Nintendo's debacles as Sinue_v2 pointed out earlier. And MS is no better. So you should be mad at every huge company ever. They all do illegal activities. They just don't get caught or manage to escape the penalties. I for one expect that from them. Its pretty much a given that the companies, top dog especially, will pull shit. So, I don't get mad. No point. If one falls, another one that does the same thing goes up.

-memoru-

Oct 26, 2006, 11:50 AM

D: I didn;t know Lik-Sang went under. T_T They were great and offer a lot of stuff way ahead of the other sites i go to. ;-;

Ahhh, well at least Play Asia (http://www.Play-Asia.com) still around, but Sony might come after them as well. ~_~

-memoru-

Oct 26, 2006, 11:59 AM

On 2006-10-25 04:43, DizzyDi wrote:

On 2006-10-24 23:08, Norvekh wrote:

On 2006-10-24 17:51, DizzyDi wrote:

On 2006-10-24 17:28, UrikoBB3 wrote:

I'm pretty sure Sony are just TRYING to fall out of the games business, it's sad so many people will back them until the end.

As long as Sony consoles keep having the good games, I couldn't care less what other mess they do. As long as it doesn't interfere with MY gaming. And I don't import so I really don't care.

"As long as it doesn't affect me, I don't care if the Nazis kill all the Jews. Afterall, I'm not Jewish and don't plan to become Jewish. Because, in the end, I get some nice highways out of it."

"Just because they did illegal business practices I don't care, because I wasn't an investor in Enron. Afterall, I still got their energy."

"Sure they build horribly unsafe power stations that have blown up and irradiated the majority of the Ukraine and Belarus but the Soviet Atomic Energy Department still provided me with power so I don't care about Chernobyl or the Urals."

Nice one Norvekh! Those are all completely EXTREME examples.
The thing is, Sony isn't doing anything illegal or overly harmful to anyone.
No one is dying. Just now some people will have to go to a different source for thier imports. Boo-Hew.
Sony is STILL going to succeed. People are STILL willing to buy the PS3. And developers are STILL backing up the console.

That's because they have a loyal following of fanbois and gurls. I love a lot of games on the console, but different companies produce the games. I back the game company, not the console. ;x

HUnewearl_Meira

Oct 26, 2006, 03:11 PM

On 2006-10-25 15:16, Oji_Retta wrote:
If you are disgusted by Sony's behavior whether past or present, you should be disgusted with practically every major corporation and even Nintendo's debacles as Sinue_v2 pointed out earlier. And MS is no better. So you should be mad at every huge company ever. They all do illegal activities. They just don't get caught or manage to escape the penalties. I for one expect that from them. Its pretty much a given that the companies, top dog especially, will pull shit. So, I don't get mad. No point. If one falls, another one that does the same thing goes up.

The difference between what Nintendo has done and what Sony has done, is this: Nintendo screwed over other corporations to create what was effectively a monopoly, and in doing so, everyone made money, and the consumers were happy. Perhaps some of the 3rd Party developers didn't make as much as they might otherwise have, but ultimately it was more annoying to them than it was harmful.

Sony, however, has made a target of the consumer and end-user. They treat us like shit, they sue to death retailers that sell their products, they put a half-assed effort into designing their products, and their quality control, as demonstrated by their exploding laptop batteries and defective plasma screen TVs, has gone all to shit. There was a time when they produced among the absolute best equipment available, but now it's all overpriced, cheap crap.

Now maybe I'm totally unaware, and enlighten me if I'm ignorant of this subject, but I've never heard of any significant instances where Nintendo has openly and directly lashed out at the consumer, like Sony is prone to do.

Now I'm not going to jump out and accuse Sony of being "evil", but I am going to jump out and call them out for being the assholes that they've been. It might be said that they're only doing it because they can get away with it, but if we just lay down and let them get away with it, then we'll continue to go home every day with sore asses, and they'll continue to get away with it. Personally, I'm not okay with that.

Remember that "business" does not have to be about the money. That's like saying that you play Halo just to see the ring blow up, rather than to shoot and throw grenades at things; playing for the end rather than the means. Believe it or not, there are a great deal of people out there that are working at these jobs because these are the things that they want to do with their lives, and they're just happy that they can earn a living off of it. The money is just the end, but the career is the means.

[ This Message was edited by: HUnewearl_Meira on 2006-10-26 13:15 ]

ANIMEniac

Oct 26, 2006, 03:32 PM

what i still dont get is why it matters that pl un europe are getting asian systems... why is there even region coding. wow i used to hate Sony back when i was 9 and was a sega fanboy. im not a fanboy of anything right now but sony is really trying to make me hatem' -_-

DrizaSiegmund

Oct 27, 2006, 09:03 AM

Ask any sony fan (not even nessecerily fanboys) why they continually stick up for sony, and you'll get one of 2 answers: (and this is from experience i know what i am talking about)

1. possible profanity
2. a mention of third party game developers eg. "Sony has the best games like final fantasy and tekken and violence!!"
Which will bring you to..

On 2006-10-26 09:59, -memoru- wrote:
I love a lot of games on the console, but different companies produce the games. I back the game company, not the console. ;x

..aka if the shoe was on the other foot, playstation wouldn't be liked at all.
Not forgetting that violence in video gaming goes back to the arcades in Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct or Street Fighter, games of which were then released onto the Snes.

On 2006-10-26 13:11, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:
Remember that "business" does not have to be about the money. That's like saying that you play Halo just to see the ring blow up, rather than to shoot and throw grenades at things; playing for the end rather than the means. Believe it or not, there are a great deal of people out there that are working at these jobs because these are the things that they want to do with their lives, and they're just happy that they can earn a living off of it. The money is just the end, but the career is the means.

Thank you very much.
October 2005, my manager and i (such an awesome lady she was) were getting ready for a press release for the companys upcoming event. She meantioned several companies asking her to join their business due to her unique management skills. I asked her why she didn't take the offer if it meant more money, and she said: "nah, no way, the kind of opportunities this company gives to others and the efforts it stands for make my work here worth it".
QFT.

[ This Message was edited by: DrizaSiegmund on 2006-10-27 07:13 ]

-memoru-

Oct 27, 2006, 09:28 AM

On 2006-10-27 07:03, DrizaSiegmund wrote:
Ask any sony fan (not even nessecerily fanboys) why they continually stick up for sony, and you'll get one of 2 answers: (and this is from experience i know what i am talking about)

1. possible profanity
2. a mention of third party game developers eg. "Sony has the best games like final fantasy and tekken and violence!!"
Which will bring you to..

On 2006-10-26 09:59, -memoru- wrote:
I love a lot of games on the console, but different companies produce the games. I back the game company, not the console. ;x

..aka if the shoe was on the other foot, playstation wouldn't be liked at all.
Not forgetting that violence in video gaming goes back to the arcades in Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct or Street Fighter, games of which were then released onto the Snes.

Actually what i was trying to say, was that i don't support Sony b/c i don't buy the consoles at all. I buy the games and i have friends who own them. I play over their homes. Or borrow their system. Effectively NOT putting money in their pockets by buying my own system, and therefore still supporting the games I love(Hell, i'm a huge Sonic nut and i still won't buy a PS3 for the game).