Really not impressed with any of my dealings with Sony so far. I decided to purchase a PS3 bundle as a Christmas gift, and thought, why not get it directly from Sony? So I'm about to check out, and then I notice that they're charging me sales tax on the purchase, even though there's no Sony store in my state. I think, well, this might be an error... Maybe the cart does it automatically. So I decide to email... Only, despite the fact that it's THERE IS NO EMAIL ADDRESS LISTED. Really, Sony? There's only a customer service number, and it closed an hour ago. Nice. I give up and decide to call the next day. However, I get an email from Sony for registering for an account, and there is a link to email customer service! Hallelujah. So I send off my nice little email. 5 minutes later I get a lovely (obviously automated) response "We appreciate your interest in Sony products! Due to the complexity of our products, we are unable to assist you via email." Despite this superior level of "service", I still call the next day. After sitting on hold for about 30 minutes, the rep gives me a scripted response about how they're required to charge sales tax by the government, even though they're not located in nor have a presence in my state. Not true. No other company that I do business with (and I order mainly online) charges tax unless they have a store in the state, because they're not required to. And on a $300 purchase, that sales tax is NOT an insignificant amount.
I think Sony needs to change their archaic way of doing business and allow customers to contact them via email rather than forcing them to call and wait on hold. I also think they need to update their information regarding sales tax and online purchases. It'd be commendable if they were following the law, but at this point, I think the only thing they're following is their own ridiculous policy.
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