Sony Needs A Lesson In Customer Service and Marketing

This last month has been trying, to say the least, for any loyal fan of Playstation's Home. For me, it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions, ranging from anger to sympathy.

I have always been a HUGE supporter of Home since day one. I've convinced more people to buy PS3's than I can remember. Playstation Home was not even available yet when I got my first PS3. However, when I got picked for the closed beta, I became hooked. The potential for Home always seemed limitless to me. Still is.

I've watched the evolution of Home with all of its ups and downs. Never once doubting that someday, Home would be truly amazing.

For the most part, many great things have happened to Home. Sadly, many not so great things have happened as well. I truly believe Home, in its present incarnation, is not what Sony originally had in mind. I think that once the virtual items starting flowing in Home, the revenue stream was a wake-up call to Sony. One morning, the boys in the executive suite looked at the numbers and said, "Wow! Let's exploit this!". As with all companies that are beholding to shareholders, profit is the main drive. However , it shouldn't be at the expense of proper re-investment in infrastructure and customer relations.

Sony has always had a nose-in-the-air attitude when it comes to their products. There is no doubt, that Sony was the envy of the electronics industry..... both from a consumer standpoint as well as an industry standpoint. Sony was an innovator. Broadcast televison, portable music players, VCR's, CD's, etc.. Used to be you couldn't buy a better TV than a Sony. Sony's biggest mistakes have always been about that arrogant "you need us" attitude.

Just two examples of this. Sony had the upper hand with their Walkman product. Until the iPod came along. Sony had the best quality VCR in the Betamax, until VHS took the market away from them.

Sony has done many good things. Blu-Ray and the PS3 come to mind. However, Sony has lost its edge. They are no longer in-step with the marketplace like they used to be. Instead, it seems greed has taken over. Many companies went down this path. Many found it cost them dearly.

Today, customer service is a thing of the past. It costs money and given the current economic climate, it's no surprise customer service gets cut. So it's no surprise Sony has done the same.

But it goes further than that for Home's users. I'm sure Sony looks at Home as a minor part of the overall Playstation experience. I'm sure they feel that gamers will love the PS3 with or without Home. I'm sure to some extent that's true. Without knowing any real numbers of Home users, we may never know just how much of a role Home plays with PS3 users.

The part I think Sony is missing is the damage a bad PS Home experience does to their public image. The lack of communication and the ultra-slow response to fixing problems doesn't help Sony's image. Especially now after a month of no PSN. Giving users old games and virtual items for free isn't what they want. They want answers. They want a service that WORKS. They want innovation. They want fair pricing. They want to feel like their loyalty is appreciated.

Home, in my opinion, is far from reaching its full potential. To reach that, Sony needs to step up to the plate. Give the service the attention it needs. Then market it properly. Make it a key selling point for the PS3 instead of an after-thought. Show your loyal customers you care Sony. Your lack of investment in infrastructure just cost you millions. Learn from that. Invest in your customers. Invest in Home. You just might be surprised at how far that will go to making the PS3 the market leader.