A reader details a frustrating day waiting for his PS5 to be delivered and what happened after he realised it was never arriving.
I wanted to share my tale of woe with yourself and readers. One I sense (and read) isn’t an isolated case in these PlayStation 5 shortage times
I thought I’d been a chosen one, managing to obtain a pre-order for the PlayStation 5 console from Amazon. Oh lucky lucky, lucky me I thought. Things were looking up for 2020. I could banish some of the horrors of the previous months. With some well-placed electronic escapism from my strained NHS vocation.
On launch day I prepared a space under the TV for the impending new arrival. Perused my shiny new copies of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls. Held the new spare controller, imagining the gaming goodness that would soon be upon me.
Started to watch the advance Amazon tracking system on my phone, showing my console’s progress. It seemed like an eternity watching it go slowly down from its 10th stop away to finally next delivery.
At last it was just outside my house, the delivery van pulled up on my road. The driver didn’t move for several minutes, maybe catching a much needed break. Only to see him turn the van around and take off down the road. Odd I think, maybe he’s been called away on an important errand.
My phone flashes into life, with an Amazon message telling my beloved console has been delivered and handed to the resident!
WHAT!
‘Is this some sick joke?’, I cursed.
It can’t be happening. A quick call to Amazon customer services ensued.
‘Have you checked with your neighbours?’, a transcripted voice asks me. Not possible I explain again, if he didn’t even leave the van!
Or unless he threw it from the van, I couldn’t see how this was possible, I silently thought to myself!
‘Could you contact the errant driver?’, I ask hopefully. ‘Sorry we have no way of communicating with drivers.’
‘We will investigate and get back to you, I’m sure we can sort this out.’
‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’, I get duly asked.
Several days later and many calls to the formulaic Amazon customer services the investigation concludes my console has been ‘lost’ in transit. As my item is out of stock they cannot resend a replacement unit. That’s a surprise as its initial pre-order sold out in five minutes, as it’s rarer than the provable hen’s tooth.
Amazon's statement on this and other similar reports:
‘We’re all about making our customers happy, and that hasn’t happened for a small proportion of these orders. We’re really sorry about that and are investigating exactly what’s happened. We’re reaching out to every customer who’s had a problem and made us aware so we can put it right. Anyone who has had an issue with any order can contact our customer services team for help.’
My final encounter with Amazon’s beloved Customer Services.
‘We would like to offer you a £5 gift voucher for your inconvenience’
‘No thank you, but please could I to be allocated a console when the next shipment comes in. That’s the least you can do under the circumstances.’
‘I’m sorry that is not possible, Amazon doesn’t have that facility to do that, just try and re-order once back in stock’
Amazon online response to this debacle is, ‘We’re reaching out to every customer who’s had a problem and made us aware so we can put it right’.
Really Amazon, I don’t think so! Oh dear, it’s back to the PlayStation 4 for the foreseeable future. That pile of uncompleted classics is beckoning me.
The moral of this tragic tale is, if you really want to guarantee a console on launch day from Amazon, sign up to be one of their drivers. Sorted!
By reader BlinkBrown (Andy)
The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.
MORE : Microsoft admits some PS5 games run better than Xbox Series X – says it won’t last
MORE : New Cyberpunk 2077 footage shows PS4 Pro and PS5 versions, but not PS4
MORE : UK scalper group has more PS5 consoles to sell than any retailer
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
0 Commentaires