Independent profile — not affiliated with Sony (Sony Electronics)
Sony (Sony Electronics)
Sony Electronics Inc. is the U.S. consumer-electronics company behind the Sony Store and Sony-branded TVs, cameras and audio products. This page gathers Sony's own return, repair, recall and dispute terms, its BBB and Trustpilot displays as of October 14, 2026, two court-approved class settlements, two pending smart-TV privacy suits (allegations), a planned TCL joint venture announced by Sony, and 226 archive complaints from 1999 to 2014. PlayStation and other Sony businesses are separate and not covered.
Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints
USAComplaints currently maintains 226 historical complaints about Sony (Sony Electronics), published between 1999 and 2014. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.
- This is horrible
- Sony Bravia KDL46BX420 LCD TV Broken After Two Years
- Lack of Support on LCD TV Even having extended coverage through 2014 - Sony Bravia KDL 40EX720
- Sony NWZ-W273 stopped working
- Blank CD-R 50 pack from Walmart
- Consumer Report
- Defective Electronics
- Consumer Report
- Repairs botched vs. "Sony Pledge of Quality" Responsiveness and Customer Service
- Consumer Report
- Sony television - Sony TV
- Worst experience eve
- Fooled by Sony
- 9 days and counting
- Consumer Report
- Horrible
- SONY is not the same as it used to be
- Sony bravia xbr not working after 2 years of purchase
- Consumer Report
- Consumer Report
Complaint Themes
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Contacts
- Sony Store (electronics.sony.com): https://electronics.sony.com/
- Sony product support (US): https://us.esupport.sony.com/support/s/support-contact
- Sony Store support (orders, returns): 1-800-249-7669
- PlayStation support (separate business): 1-800-345-7669 11 complaints mention this number
Locations
| Type | Address |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 16535 Via Esprillo San Diego CA 92127 |
Sony Electronics complaints, returns, repairs and recalls: what Sony's own pages say (checked October 14, 2026)
This page is about Sony Electronics Inc., the U.S. company behind the Sony Store (electronics.sony.com) and Sony-branded TVs, cameras, audio gear and (in earlier years) VAIO computers. PlayStation consoles, games and accounts, Sony Pictures and Sony Music are separate Sony businesses; Sony's own contact page says its Store and Product Support agents 'do not provide support for PlayStation' and points PlayStation customers to playstation.com/support.
Orders and returns from the Sony Store. Sony's Store Terms & Conditions say most products bought directly from the site and shipped within the United States can be returned for a refund of the purchase price actually paid, minus return shipping costs, during a 'Return & Exchange Period of 30 days' after delivery, after obtaining a return authorization number (RMA); refurbished and 'FINAL SALE' items are excluded. The same page adds: 'In its sole discretion, Sony may additionally charge a restocking fee of 15% of the purchase price (“Restocking Fee”) to all Products', and says that if a product is returned without an RMA, beyond the 30-day period or without original packaging and accessories, Sony may refuse delivery or charge the 15% fee. It also says 'To receive a full refund all items included in the order need to be returned at the same time', and that 'game hardware, games, software, professional products, gift cards, engraved Products' (together with aibo, subscriptions, cloud services, movies, music and one named lens) 'are final sales and can only be exchanged for the same Product if defective'. For purchases made between November 1 and December 25 the terms allow returns until January 16 of the next calendar year or within 30 days of delivery, whichever is greater, and ask that damaged, defective or incorrectly shipped products be reported to Sony Customer Care 'within 14 days of receiving the Product'. The terms say refunds can take up to 10 business days to the original payment method. Store Support is listed as 1-800-249-7669 (call or text), Monday to Friday 10:00AM-10:00PM ET and Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM ET.
Repairs and warranty on products you already own. Sony routes product help, repair requests and warranty questions through its U.S. support site (us.esupport.sony.com: 'Contact Support', 'Product Repair', 'Register a Product'). The warranty terms differ by product and by whether the item was bought from the Sony Store or a retailer; we did not open an individual product warranty on October 14, 2026, so check the manual or the 'Manuals & Warranty' page for your model number and keep the receipt. The Store Terms state that 'Sony makes no warranties except those stated in the Sony limited warranty cards included with the Products', that third-party (non-Sony-branded) products are 'sold by Sony AS IS' with any warranty coming from that manufacturer or supplier, and that Sony's Protect and Protect Plus plans are 'by Registria Customer Experience LLC' with 'Servify US Inc.' named as Plan Administrator.
Recall and replacement programs. Sony's 'Voluntary Recall Programs' article (last modified 07/27/2023 on the page) lists these dated programs: 03/02/16 Battery Pack VGP-BP26 in VAIO personal computers; 04/24/14 Free Repair Program for VAIO Fit 11A/Flip; 10/12/11 Notice for Sony BRAVIA LCD HDTV Evaluation Program; 06/30/10 VAIO F11 and CW2 Series; 10/27/09 Sony AC Power Adapter Replacement Program; 09/04/08 VAIO TZ Series. Many archive complaints below concern optical-block failures in older rear-projection TVs and VAIO hardware faults, so check this list by model number first. Separately, a search of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database (recall API, title containing 'Sony', run on October 14, 2026) returned nine entries: eight concern Sony computers, notebook batteries or AC adapters (2003 to 2017, including 'Sony Expands Recall of VAIO Laptop Computer Battery Packs Due to Burn and Fire Hazards' dated February 7, 2017) and one (2005) concerns Sony Computer Entertainment America, a separate Sony company. No CPSC entry dated after February 7, 2017 was returned by that search.
Disputes. The Store Terms contain a binding individual arbitration clause and class-action waiver for purchases from the Store, with a stated right to bring individual claims in small-claims court up to $15,000, and an opt-out that must be mailed within 30 days of purchase to Sony Electronics Inc., 16535 Via Esprillo, MZ 1105, San Diego CA 92127, Attn: Legal Department (read the full clause before relying on this summary). Outside Sony, consumers can report a product safety problem to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (SaferProducts.gov), file a complaint with the FTC or their state attorney general, or file a BBB complaint.
Who Sony Electronics Inc. is
Sony's Store Terms identify the seller as Sony Electronics Inc., and its legal-notice address is 16535 Via Esprillo, San Diego, California 92127. Sony Corporation of America's U.S. site lists 'Sony Electronics' among 'Sony Companies' alongside Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (games), and its footer reads '© 2026 Sony Group Corporation'. Sony Group Corporation files annual reports on Form 20-F with the SEC (most recent listed in EDGAR: filed 2026-06-18).
Planned TCL joint venture (company statement). In a Form 6-K furnished March 31, 2026, Sony Group says Sony Corporation signed 'legally binding definitive agreements' with TCL Electronics Holdings Limited under which a new joint venture, in which 'TCL will hold 51% and Sony will hold 49%', would succeed to Sony's home entertainment business, including 'customer service' for products such as BRAVIA TVs and home audio equipment; the filing says completion is 'subject to obtaining relevant regulatory approvals and other conditions' and that the new company is 'expected to commence operations in April 2027'. This is a planned transaction as announced by Sony, and the filings reviewed do not describe how U.S. warranty or service arrangements for existing products would change.
BBB keeps one file under 'Sony Electronics Inc' (Costa Mesa, California address) whose description refers to Sony Corporation of America and which lists 'Sony' as an alternate name. Our complaint archive uses many name variants for the same brand (Sony, Sony Corp, Sony Style, Sony Computer Services, Sony Customer Satisfaction Center and product names such as VAIO and BRAVIA); we link posts about Sony-branded consumer electronics here and keep PlayStation, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Ericsson/Sony Mobile phones, Sony Pictures and Sony BMG posts out of this profile.
Complaint record: BBB, Trustpilot and the usacomplaints archive (as displayed October 14, 2026)
BBB. On October 14, 2026 the BBB file 'Sony Electronics Inc' (Costa Mesa, CA) showed an A+ rating, 'NOT a BBB Accredited Business', '530 total complaints in the last 3 years' and '195 complaints filed in the last 12 months', and a reviews tab with '1.09 /5 stars Average of 23 Customer Reviews'. Trustpilot. The 'Sony Electronics' page for electronics.sony.com showed an unclaimed profile, 39 reviews and a 1.4 TrustScore, with several recent reviews about PlayStation consoles bought at retailers. These two sources are separate and are not added together.
This site's archive. usacomplaints.com holds 226 approved complaints about Sony-branded consumer electronics that name Sony, Sony Electronics, Sony Corp, Sony Style or a Sony service center as the business (posted 1999 to 2014), plus 15 more that name Sony together with a retailer, repair contractor or warranty administrator. Posts are consumers' own accounts and are allegations. Keyword counts across the 226 (a post can match several): warranty or repair dispute 129; defective product (TV, laptop, camera, other) 75; customer-service complaints 74; online order, shipping or refund problem 67; mail-in rebate not paid 37. Sony's current policies may differ from those described in posts dated years ago.
Court cases involving Sony Electronics Inc. (consumer class actions and a state suit)
Date v. Sony Electronics, Inc. (E.D. Mich., No. 2:07-cv-15474). A putative class action about Sony's Grand Wega KDS-R50XBR1 and KDS-R60XBR1 televisions, which alleged misrepresentation in marketing of 1080p input capability. The court's order of July 31, 2013 granted final approval of a class settlement, $435,000 in attorneys' fees (paid by the defendants) and a $7,000 incentive award; the order records that approximately 175,000 televisions were sold, and that an earlier settlement had been rejected by the court in January 2009. The order is the court's approval of a settlement, not a finding of liability.
Flynn v. Sony Electronics, Inc. (S.D. Cal., No. 3:09-cv-02109), Class settlement with plaintiffs Christina Egner and Rickey Glasco (the docket also names Best Buy in the caption). The docket shows a settlement motion filed December 30, 2016, a preliminary-approval order signed January 3, 2017, an order granting final approval signed August 7, 2017 (ECF 378), an order of the same date awarding $2,797,651.46 in attorneys' fees, $402,349.04 in costs and a $17,000 incentive award (ECF 379) and a final judgment of August 21, 2017 (ECF 382). The docket entries do not describe the product. A July 18, 2022 filing by plaintiffs in a different case (In re MacBook Keyboard Litigation, N.D. Cal. 5:18-cv-02813) cites ECF 378 under the caption 'In re Sony VAIO Computer Notebook Trackpad Litigation, No. 3:09-cv-02109', and news coverage of the preliminary approval (Law360, via Cooley, January 4, 2017) describes the suit as alleging Vaio laptops with touchpad defects.
In re Sony Electronics Privacy Litigation (S.D. Cal., No. 3:26-cv-00297), pending. The docket shows a complaint with jury demand dated January 16, 2026 against Sony Corporation of America and Sony Electronics, Inc.; a June 9, 2026 order denying Sony's earlier motion to dismiss and motion to compel arbitration as moot after the cases were consolidated; and a consolidated class action complaint filed July 8, 2026 (ECF 31). Plaintiffs allege that Sony Smart TVs use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology to capture and transmit viewing data without informed consent; these are allegations and no court has made findings on them. On August 7, 2026 Sony Electronics filed a motion to compel arbitration (ECF 32) and a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim (ECF 33); the motion to dismiss argues that each plaintiff 'agreed to resolve any dispute with SEL exclusively in individual (non-class) arbitration'. The newest docket entry seen on October 14, 2026 was dated September 29, 2026 (ECF 42, an order on a miscellaneous motion, not opened). No ruling on the motions was seen in the sources checked.
State of Texas v. Sony Corporation of America and Sony Electronics, Inc. (District Court, Nueces County, Texas), pending. The Texas Attorney General's December 15, 2025 press release says he 'has filed suit against five major television companies' including Sony over ACR technology, and the petition posted by the Attorney General seeks relief under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and a permanent injunction. The petition's claims are allegations. The Attorney General's May 11, 2026 release about a settlement with LG Electronics U.S.A. says 'Cases against Sony and Hisense and TCL Technology' 'remain ongoing'; no Sony settlement or judgment was seen in the sources checked on October 14, 2026.
Other lawsuits and regulatory matters exist for Sony group companies (for example PlayStation or music businesses); they are outside this profile. This section lists the matters reviewed on October 14, 2026; it is not a complete list of cases involving Sony Electronics.
Is Sony (Sony Electronics) Legitimate?
Sony Electronics Inc. is the named seller in the Sony Store Terms at electronics.sony.com, publishes a legal-notice address in San Diego, California, and is listed as a Sony company on the website of Sony Corporation of America, whose footer names Sony Group Corporation. BBB shows an A+ rating for its file with no accreditation, along with the complaint and review counts described above; Trustpilot shows a 1.4 score on an unclaimed profile with 39 reviews. Courts have approved two consumer class settlements involving the company (2013 and 2017), and as of October 14, 2026 a consolidated smart-TV privacy class action and a Texas Attorney General suit are pending, both described above as allegations. Sony's Store contact page carries a 'See Authorized Retailers' link (sony.com/electronics/retailers) to its dealer directory; use the contact pages above for Sony's own channels.
Court & Public Records
| Case | Authority | Dates | Type | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date v. Sony Electronics, Inc. and ABC Appliance, Inc. Docket 2:07-cv-15474 | U.S. District Court, E.D. Michigan | — | Settled | Settled Opinion and Order of July 31, 2013 (Filing 285) granted final approval of the class settlement after a final fairness hearing on July 24, 2013, awarded $435,000 in attorneys' fees to be paid by the defendants, and approved a $7,000 incentive award. The class: U.S. end-user consumers who bought or received as a gift a KDS-R50XBR1 or KDS-R60XBR1 television. The court recorded that Sony represented about 175,000 televisions were sold. Claims concerned alleged deceptive marketing of 1080p input capability. An earlier proposed settlement was rejected by the court in January 2009. The order approves a settlement and is not a finding of liability. | Source |
| Flynn v. Sony Electronics, Inc. (Egner and Glasco class settlement) Docket 3:09-cv-02109 | U.S. District Court, S.D. California | — | Settled | Settled Docket (opened 2026-10-14): preliminary-approval motion filed December 30, 2016 and order signed January 3, 2017; order granting the unopposed motion for final approval signed August 7, 2017 (ECF 378); final judgment signed August 21, 2017 (ECF 382) disposing of all claims 'based upon the Settlement Agreement and Release entered between Plaintiffs Christina Egner and Rickey Glasco and defendant Sony Electronics Inc.' The docket names Best Buy in the caption. ECF 379 (August 7, 2017) awards plaintiffs $2,797,651.46 in attorneys' fees, $402,349.04 in costs and $17,000 as an incentive award ($10,000 for Christina Egner and $7,500 for Rickey Glasco). The docket entries do not state the product at issue; a 2022 plaintiffs' filing in In re MacBook Keyboard Litigation cites ECF 378 as 'In re Sony VAIO Computer Notebook Trackpad Litigation' and describes it as 'approving settlement paying $5 to class members whose laptops did not manifest the defect' (plaintiffs' characterization). The class relief terms were not verified from the order text. | Source |
| In re Sony Electronics Privacy Litigation (Sony Smart TV ACR data collection) Docket 3:26-cv-00297 | U.S. District Court, S.D. California | Filed | Filed — no final outcome recorded Pending as of October 14, 2026. Putative consumer class action filed January 16, 2026 against Sony Corporation of America and Sony Electronics, Inc.; cases were consolidated and a consolidated complaint was filed July 8, 2026 (ECF 31) naming Sony Electronics Inc. as defendant. Plaintiffs allege consumer-privacy and consumer-protection violations from Sony Smart TV Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology; these are allegations, not findings. On June 9, 2026 the court denied Sony's earlier motion to dismiss and motion to compel arbitration as moot (ECF 30). On August 7, 2026 Sony Electronics filed a motion to compel arbitration (ECF 32) and a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim (ECF 33), arguing among other things that each plaintiff agreed to individual arbitration. No ruling on those motions was seen on the docket as of October 14, 2026 (newest entry seen: September 29, 2026). | Source | |
| State of Texas v. Sony Corporation of America and Sony Electronics, Inc. (Smart TV ACR, DTPA) | District Court, Nueces County, Texas | — | Filed | Filed — no final outcome recorded Pending per the Texas Attorney General. The Attorney General's press release of December 15, 2025 says he 'has filed suit against five major television companies', including Sony, over ACR technology. The posted petition names Sony Corporation of America and Sony Electronics, Inc. and invokes the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code section 17.46) and seeks a permanent injunction; its statements are the State's allegations. The Attorney General's May 11, 2026 release on a settlement with LG says 'Cases against Sony and Hisense and TCL Technology' 'remain ongoing'. No settlement, judgment or ruling in the Sony case was seen in the sources checked on October 14, 2026; the filing date and cause number are not shown on the posted petition. | Source |
Related Complaints
Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.
Company Relationships
- Affiliated with: Sony Corporation of America
- Affiliated with: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Sony company does this page cover?
Sony Electronics Inc., the seller named in the Sony Store Terms & Conditions and the company behind Sony-branded TVs, cameras and audio products in the United States. PlayStation, Sony Pictures and Sony Music are separate Sony businesses, and Sony's contact page says its Store and Product Support agents do not support PlayStation.
How long do I have to return something bought from the Sony Store?
The Store Terms say most products bought on the site and shipped in the United States can be returned within a 'Return & Exchange Period of 30 days' of delivery after getting an RMA number, for the purchase price minus return shipping; refurbished and FINAL SALE items are excluded. The terms also say Sony 'may additionally charge a restocking fee of 15% of the purchase price' in its sole discretion, list further final-sale categories (including game hardware, games, software, professional products, gift cards and engraved products), and give purchases made November 1 to December 25 until January 16 of the next year.
What phone number does Sony list for Store orders and returns?
1-800-249-7669 (call or text), Monday to Friday 10:00AM-10:00PM ET, Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM ET, Sunday closed, per Sony's Store contact page as opened October 14, 2026.
Does Sony Electronics handle PlayStation problems?
Not according to Sony's own contact page, which says its agents 'do not provide support for PlayStation' and lists playstation.com/support and 1-800-345-7669 for PlayStation products. Complaints in our archive about PlayStation consoles and accounts are not linked to this profile.
Does Sony list recall or free-repair programs?
Sony's 'Voluntary Recall Programs' article lists six dated programs from 2008 to 2016, including VAIO battery pack VGP-BP26 (03/02/16), VAIO Fit 11A/Flip free repair (04/24/14), a BRAVIA LCD HDTV evaluation program (10/12/11) and an AC power adapter replacement program (10/27/09). Check your model number there. CPSC's recall database lists further Sony computer, battery and adapter recalls, the newest dated February 7, 2017 (an expansion of the VAIO battery pack recall); no later CPSC entry was returned by a search of 'Sony' on October 14, 2026.
Do Sony Store purchases include an arbitration clause?
The Store Terms say the agreement 'CONTAINS A BINDING INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION CLAUSE AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER', with a right to use small-claims court for amounts up to $15,000 and an opt-out by mailed notice within 30 days of purchase. Read the full Dispute Resolution section before relying on this summary.
What does BBB show for Sony Electronics Inc?
As displayed on October 14, 2026: rating A+, not BBB Accredited, 530 complaints in the last 3 years, 195 in the last 12 months, and a customer-review average of 1.09 out of 5 from 23 reviews. This is one BBB file and is not combined with Trustpilot or our archive.
Which class actions and lawsuits involving Sony Electronics appear in court records?
Dockets show two approved settlements: Date v. Sony Electronics (E.D. Mich.), final approval order dated July 31, 2013 for Grand Wega KDS-R50XBR1/R60XBR1 televisions, and Flynn v. Sony Electronics (S.D. Cal.), order granting final approval signed August 7, 2017 and final judgment August 21, 2017. Both are settlements, not findings of liability. Two matters about smart-TV ACR data collection were pending on October 14, 2026: In re Sony Electronics Privacy Litigation (S.D. Cal.), where Sony has moved to compel individual arbitration and to dismiss, and a Texas Attorney General suit in Nueces County; their claims are allegations.
What do the older complaints on this site describe?
226 archive posts (1999 to 2014) name Sony consumer electronics. By keyword count, warranty or repair disputes appear in 129, defective products in 75, customer-service complaints in 74, online order or refund problems in 67 and unpaid mail-in rebates in 37; a post can match several. They are consumers' own accounts, and policies described may since have changed.