NTSC-UK Import PlayStation 3 FAQ v2.0 [updated: 18/04/2007]

[Strolls]

blazing-star: these are IDENTICAL symptoms to those I had with my 60gb PS3 earlier this year. I'm sorry to tell you that I think this is a problem with the graphics hardware - briareos_kerensky here attributes it to this, too.

Leaving mine several hours to cool down allowed it to work again for a few minutes, then it would lock up. This involved either the screen just freezing, or different types of blocks / pixilation. After allowing it to cool down again it seemed to be required to hold the power button down during start-up, performing a graphics reset. Again, it would shortly afterwards lock up.

I tried using the PS3's menu option to format the hard-drive but it locked up at 2% or so. I then zero'd out the hard-drive using a PC; the PS3 then recognised the hard disk as "not initialised" and attempted to format it. It froze halfway through.

I didn't try another hard-drive because I didn't have another SATA laptop drive handy, but I don't think it was the drive because that worked fine when tried in other desktop PCs. Best of luck trying Shakey's one, tho'.

I ended up returning my PS3 to VG+ who were accommodating, if a bit slow replying to emails. I got (get) best results by phoning them, TBH. I think they were slow in replying because they didn't know whether to send mine back to Sony for me, or replace it with a new one from stock. I got the impression that Sidney had to refer to his boss, but anyway once they agreed to accept it & I shipped it to them I got a brand new one back very quickly.

I obviously had to pay VG+ for shipping the new PS3 back to me but I found someone to ship it there for only c ?35. Let me know if you want the details. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out - customs declarations & stuff - but this was cheaper than buying a new machine.

Stroller.

[blazing-star]

Thanks for that Stroller very helpful, I've emailed but no reply so far, I'll phone them & see what happens. Please let me know the shipping details you mentioned.

Thanks again

Andy.

[Strolls]

The shipper I used was http://www.parcel2go.com/
I weighed the package & emailed them to ask which was the cheapest service for that weight - it turned out to be the FedEx 1-70 kilo World Express Service and came to £38.46.

[blazing-star]

Sidney at VG+ said they only warranty items for 30 days & he will speak to management on my behalf. I'm now waiting for his reply.

[blazing-star]

Was is still within their 30 day warranty when you returned yours Strolls?

[Strolls]

Was is still within their 30 day warranty when you returned yours Strolls?

Good question. I see that my original PS3 shipped from VG+ on the 4th May & I reported the failure to them on the 8th June.

So if you go by those dates, I guess it was a couple of days outside 30 days, but close enough for them to use their discretion. It actually started displaying the symptoms a few days beforehand, I guess when I'd had it 3 weeks - I spent the intervening days leaving it alone for several hours at a time, hoping that the problem would go away and also trying the graphics reset thing - so I guess I could have reported the fault inside 30 days of purchase if I'd known about it.

I wanted to explain about my returns experience during a previous post, but it just felt too complicated when I started to do so. VG+ took some time to get back to me when I wrote to them about the fault, and they initially didn't know whether I'd get a new unit or if my own would be reconditioned. There was no mention of the 30 day warranty. They finally realised that had a unit in stock that they'd received as a replacement and let me have that, so it shipped only a day or two after they received mine.

I wanted to keep all the packaging & accessories - to save the nice PS3 box getting too battered across the ocean and to save paying postage twice on the controller - but for some reason they wanted the packaging back. They weren't terribly forthcoming with good reasons why I shouldn't wrap the PS3 in layers & layers of bubblewrap in a plain-brown cardboard box, and so after trying to suggest / explain this a couple of times I just acquiesced. When the replacement arrived the box - not sure if it was the same one - was more battered than before and all the booklets were missing but the console itself was obviously brand new - it still had the peel-off plastic sheet that covers the fascia, and that itself was immaculate, unmarked by any of the subtle surface scratches that a PS3 acquires the moment the plastic is removed. This experience has somewhat cured me of my oh-my-gosh-I-must-keep-the-packaging-perfect-for-my-collection fetish - I didn't feel that VG+ went 110% above & beyond the call of duty on the exchange process, but at the end of the day they exchanged it for me & I realised I'm happy enough with that.

When I originally wrote VG+ about the problem I was completely confident that they'd be swapping my PS3, that they'd be warranting it. I explained that in the UK I'd be entitled to a brand new replacement but since I didn't know what the consumer laws are in Canada, I asked if they'd be planning on repairing mine instead. I phoned about 4 days after emailing and just asked Sidney, "did you get my email? Ok, as long as you did - I know you'll sort it out, so I'll give you a few days in which to organise the details". I did end up having to phone him again to chase him, and I think he then did get an answer out of the boss within a day or two.

My dealings with VG+ suggest that there are some other guys in the warehouse, but Sidney is the only one of them who deals with customers on the phone or by email. But I gather that he's still just "one of the guys in the warehouse" and that on valuable stuff like this he still has to answer to the boss (presumably the guy who owns the company).

IMO VG+ have a "moral responsibility" to - at the least - accept the console as a return from you and ship it back to Sony for repair on your behalf. If they refused to do this then I think they'd become unpopular around here quite rapidly. I expected to pay shipping of the console back to them and for its replacement back to me. I suppose they might possibly demand you pay the cost of postage from them back to Sony, although I think it would suck if they did. I bet VG+ wouldn't get to claim to a local customer that they only had a one-month warranty, and I'll bet that a Canadian customer wouldn't expect to pay shipping back to Sony had their console died only a 5 weeks (or even in your case - what? - 3 months) after purchase. Unfortunately we're not really in a position to threaten small claims court, so they can get away with it a bit.

My experience with VG+ has been pretty good, so I'd hazard that they will - at the least - accept the console as a return from you and ship it back to Sony for repair on your behalf. They may do you an immediate swap as they did with mine. I think if you're patient and, if necessary, firm with them then you'll surely get this. I will say that that from this end it seems like lousy customer service that you have to wait days for a response, but try not to take it out on Sidney and you'll get more joy, I think. At the end of the day it's the boss' fault because he's hiding behind the fact that he's an internet company and he's failing to provide proper support - both to his customers & to his staff.

I've dealt with Sidney on a number of occasions - not just over this return but also over the Wii shortage a year ago and misaddressed parcels since. He seems to have got slower at replying to emails over the last year - I don't know whether this because he's got narked with my annoying questions, laziness or whether he's just busier these days - but in my experience Sidney is a genuinely nice bloke who will do his best to help you out if you give him a chance.

Stroller.

[Angry the Clown]

Apologies for interrupting the current point of discussion, but is it right to assume the 80GB units in the US/Canada also boast a universal PSU?

[Strolls]

Hi Angry,

I didn't reply before because I don't know for sure, and I was hoping someone more knowledgeable would reply. I think the 80gb has a universal PSU - I see no reason for them to change it, and I'd have thought that I'd have heard something if they had.

Note that the 80gb only has software backwards-compatibility. It's still possible to lay your hands on a new 60gb (Emotion Engine) unit if you want one.

Stroller.

[Angry the Clown]

Cheers, Stroller. That’s pretty much the conclusion I’d come to myself in all honesty. I’ve noticed the 60GBs come and go at VG+. Honestly the backwards compatibility is not too big a deal to me as my PS1 and PS2 collection has always been a mixture of PAL and NTSC, so it’s not as if my modified slim PS2 would suddenly be rendered useless.

[Zanmato]

I emailed videogameplus a week ago inquiring about the US/CND 60GB BC model and they said they were out of stock but when i look at their website they have it in stock so i guess i lost my chance to get one =(

[Darkstorm]

Hello

I just bought a PS3 60GB and had a couple of questions as I suspect it might not of been new as It was advertised

Someone mentioned that the fascia was covered with a plastic sheet ( I presume like the stuff they use to cover new mobile screens) as mine didnt have this do all new ps3's have this covering?

Secondly my PS3 had quite a few small surface scratches/scuff marks , some around the usb ports and under the flap and also on the left side and back is this normal?

I just want to check in case the seller has tried tos ell a mahcine they have been using on as new as I paid the price for a new Ps3 not a 2nd hand one and wanted to make sure I haven't been ripped off.

Thanks to any replies =)

[elaniel]

I should quote this myself as the dumbest question ever:

Are hdmi cables universal? (IE: Use one I buy in a UK store to use on a US console.)

[sj33]

I should quote this myself as the dumbest question ever:

Are hdmi cables universal? (IE: Use one I buy in a UK store to use on a US console.)

Yeah they are, all HDMI cables are identical. Manufacturer can't even make proprietary ones for consoles, they all have to follow spec.

[elaniel]

So which oen would be really good for a PS3. Sony ones are 45 quid, but like Gameware ones are like 13.

I want a good cable, but not so much that it's over 100 quid and barely anything is noticeable.

Also... which is the plug i need for it? Apparently a 5amp kettle plug, anyone see any online really cheap:/

Thanks for teh info Shakey :P

[sj33]

A cheapo 10 quid one from Sainsburys or whatever will do. It's digital, so there won't be any quality loss unless you're wanting to run it over 10 meters or something.