Are Sony going to resolve the VAT Refund Problem?

[Steveg2]

I bought a very nice Sony Vaio before Xmas, for my son, on the basis that it was a good product but the deciding factor was the VAT refund element.  I wasted no time in filling out the form, it was sent before Xmas, and on Friday I received a letter, I assume to be confirming my refund, but not it was a rejection, which I believe to be on very dodgy ground!   No original purchase/till receipt - I bought it online and I had sent every bit of paperwork which Sony had supplied me with (they supplied it direct, so surely they can check!?) and also the one about non-qualifying product!  Nowhere on your site or your promotions do you specficy that it only a applied to some products, nowhere!

I don't believe for one second that Sony set out for this to be a scam, but that's what it is beginning to look like.  How many of us have bought products and are now being made to jump through loop after loop to reclaim which was surely ours in the first place?

Sony, I don't feel much like filling in many more of your forms - you are treating us all appallingly.  It is for you a possible PR Disaster, so fix it quick.  I expect you to sort it, I shan't be chasing you, but like others will look forward to you being invited onto BBC's Watchdog! 

[Blencogo]

Hi there!

Which Vaio model did you buy? 

The VAT Back Promotion was only applicable to qualifying Sony products and these were clearly advertised as included.

[Steveg2]

Hi, it was model reference VPCEB3X5E, if that makes any sense - powerful machine with i7 processor and everything else too!  Glad you thought it qualified too, I always thought it did.  That being the case why would Sony reject my claim on this basis, as they are only left the lack of 'till receipt' which many others appear to being caught out on too, it would seem.

The plot thickens, but still no word from Sony - worth £180 to me, but am not confident they will stump up the case, so I guess I'll wait for Watchdog!

[Blencogo]

If you look at the dedicated website here: -

http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237479399273

you can see the full range of products that qualified for the VAT-Back Promotion.

It looks to me like the Vaio VPCEB-Series is not included.  It seems only the following Vaio models were included: -

VPCEE3Z0E/BQ

VPCS13V9E/B

VPCM13M1E/P

VPCL14S1E/S

VPCL13M1E/S

I do hope ALL websites, retailers and salesmen were100% honest about this!

[daring32]

I googles the words 'Sony VAT scam' this morning.

I saw the advertizing on Amazon in Nov ('Get the VAT Back with Sony'), bought theTV, sent off the claim form with all relevant paperwork and last week received a bizarre letter which informed me that the claim was rejected because the product I bought was not covered by the offer.  It then went on to tell me to submit my claim within 30 days or it would be rejected!

So the offer was limited to certain products was it?  "But didn't you read the info under the heading 'How To Claim' in the small print at the bottom of the second page of the claims form?".  Funny old thing, I didn't -  and nor do I think I should have been expected to in order to find out that the promotion was limited to a handful of specific products.  Having phoned Sony and been told that it is my problem and not theirs I am very happy to take this further in any way possible.  I feel thoroughly CHEATED and DISGUSTED with SONY.  Has anybody contacted Watchdog yet?

[Steveg2]

Thanks for this information.

I was under the impression, given the big promotion by Sony that it applied to virtually all products, and the refgerence to VPCE I thought was sufficient, as I thought it to be an 'E Series' lap top.  So, it seems that Sony made a big splash and drew in lots of extra business, when in fact from a range of thousands of products only a small handful were actually qualifying products!   Very clever!   Very cheated, is how I feel.  Why was your claim form not also a check list that you had actually bought a qualifying product, as I checked the details here before I actually made a purchase.  In the world of Financial Services Sony would be fined for such behaviour as this, but as they're only selling Telly's and stuff they can do as they wish.   Maybe it's a case for the Advertising Standards Authority?  

[pcamichel]

I work in a Sony Centre and the ticketing in store was very clear.  It was not a "small handful" of products that featured in the promotion but a very large range (admittedly not in the Vaio range).  Almost every TV was included.  I would be aiming my frustrations at the retailer (ie Amazon) if they did not make it clear rather than Sony who would have provided the retailer with the correct information.  Sony seem to be getting a lot of grief over this but it was a genuine offer.  It is not Sony's fault if other retailers did not make it clear or if people made assumptions without checking.

[susanmace]

Sony have made a real mess of this promotion and whoever is responsible should be severely reprimanded to say the least. As a result of heavy TV advertising, many people have found themselves lured into buying products that they could have bought more cheaply elsewhere as they wrongly assumed they would be getting the VAT back in compensation. Nowhere did the TV campaign state that the promotion was restricted to certain products. Watchdog should indeed feature this 'scam' - deliberate or not -  but in the meantime try the 'Small Claims Court'. Sony should hang their heads in shame. The lesson provided by a certain disastrous airline promotion not that long ago has not been learnt by Sony.

Come on Sony - do the decent thing for your VAT claimants!

[Steveg2]

Further to my Sony Vaio purchase, an update on the continued saga/cum PR disaster that is the Sony VAT Scam.

I made the point that it was not clear, in fact that I had checked the vague rules of the promotion and it implied that the E Series laptop was included.  VAT Back was posted all over the website.  The claim form did not include any checks.  I researched my lap top for weeks before buying it so was the site many times before buying it from Sony Direct.  The Call Centre, who called me on the back of this forum, agreed that they would 'refer it to the head office' and I got a call a few days later saying my claim had been accepted.

BACs in my world is pretty quick, same day actually, but Sony's takes forever!  Delaying tactics, it just drives me mad!  Sony I will not be buying your products ever again.

Small Claims Court, Watch Dog and ASA is a good idea.  I shall press on - the big corporation uses an external call centre to just wear us all down so we walk away and forget it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

[NoraB123]

Hi,

I had previously posted a couple of comments stating that I thought the whole promotion was a big scam; however, almost three months now since my original claim, I finally received my cheque today.  They almost wore me down with repeated phone calls but eventually they came good.