Phone Call with Warren (Sony)

Warren: Thank you for calling PlayStation. My name is Warren, how may I help you?
Me: Hi, I was just on the phone with uh, someone, and I was disconnected. Should I endeavor to be reconnected with this person?
Warren: I wouldn't be able to do that. I would just need you to tell me what you are calling on.
Me: Alright, I'm calling on case number 07397728. And I was also told to provide a different case number, which I think you're using internally, which is 07689858.
Warren: Okay, hold on one moment. Let me pull this information up.
Warren: Okay, so this was based off of a refund that was submitted for you?
Me: That is correct.
Warren: And I'm showing that it states that your refund was submitted back to your credit card. Let's see, when was this here...
Warren: So that was... the original refund was submitted last month...
Me: Mm-hmm.
Warren: Okay, so the previous person that was helping you had contacted a supervisor to go ahead and get that checked on and it says that it was refunded back to your credit card.
Me: Yes.
Me: Um, so the issue is that I was supposed to be refunded an amount of $499.91, and so far I have only received $229.97.
Warren: Okay, give me one second here.
Me: I don't know if the supervisor-contacting thing is still going on. That was probably uh, I was on hold when I got disconnected, so I don't know what happened with that.
Warren: So you said you only got back $229.97?
Me: That is correct. So there were four charges originally, and the ones that were refunded were one that was for $150, and one for $79.97. The remaining two charges, which were both for $134.97, have not been refunded.
Warren: Give me one moment here.
Me: Sure.

Warren: Give me one moment here while I go ahead and get a hold of a supervisor here for you. Give me one moment.
Me: Sure.

<On hold for 15 minutes (shortened in the audio provided)>

Warren: Hello?
Me: Hello.
Warren: Okay, so I found out what the issue is here. The amount that you got refunded back was based off of what was submitted for the master account, but according to your accounts here, you also have a sub-account.
Me: Yes, that was created—
Warren: And...
Me: Yeah, sorry.
Warren: And that specific sub-account is technically on a ban right now.
Me: Yes, I requested that ban because I didn't create that account.
Warren: Okay. So purchases that were made from that account is what you are submitting the refund from, but they cannot process the rest of those purchases for the refund while the account is currently banned, so what would need to be done is...
Me: Wait, hold on. I requested that account to be banned on September 1st. However, these refunds were on August 24th, so that shouldn't have had anything to do with it.
Warren: When the account is banned, they cannot touch anything from the account and the refund submission for everything was based off of a call that you made on August 19th. These charges were all made prior to that, so what you're looking at here is that they can't touch anything on that account until the account is unbanned. Which in this case um, basically means that we need to go ahead and rectify this account getting unbanned first so that we can go ahead and get the rest of the submission of that refund done for you.
Me: Okay. Is that something you can do?
Warren: Well, right now what we would need to do is we would need to go ahead and get you to basically change the uh, information on the account. Do you know what the Online ID and Sign-in ID for that account is?
Me: Yes, give me a couple of seconds.
Me: Alright, the Online ID is boamama10, and the Sign-in ID, well the last time I looked at it, it was boamamamitachinga10@gmail.com. I'm looking at it now and I see it's prefixed by "cnotes_". That might be an internal thing you guys use?
Warren: Okay, give me one moment here.

<End Part 1 of the audio, begin Part 2>

Warren: You said that you didn't create this account, right?
Me: I did not.
Warren: Okay.
Me: My account was compromised, which led to the fraudulent charges, and part of that was the creation of this account.
Warren: Okay, give me one moment here.

<On hold for about 20 minutes (shortened in the audio provided)>

Warren: Hello?
Me: Hello.
Warren: Okay, so this is what I found out here with this information. Basically, you will only have pretty much just one option at this point of what you can do, which is this case, if you want to be able to get all your money back, you're gonna need to file for fraudulent charges through your bank.
Me: Yep. Yeah, that's what I was going to do if nothing else worked. Do you mind explaining why the refund can't go through?
Warren: Because the part that you did have go through was based off the purchases from your master account, from your account there, but the other charges came from that sub-account.
Me: Okay...
Warren: And because that sub-account was closed and you don't have access to that sub-account, correct?
Me: I mean, I *can* have access to that sub-account if it were unbanned.
Warren: So you have access to the email is what you're saying?
Me: No no, what I'm saying is... wait, let me see if I have you correctly. So you're saying that because the fraudulent charges were made using this sub-account, which I did not create, those funds cannot be refunded. Is that correct?
Warren: Well, yes, because that's the question, why I was asking is you didn't create it, so I'm assuming you don't have access to that email, correct?
Me: I do not have access to that email.
Warren: So because you would need to have access to that email in order for them to go ahead and help you change the information on this account...
Me: What do you mean by "change the information"?
Warren: Change... so that we can get the account unbanned, basically.
Me: I don't understand. I was the one who requested the account be banned. How was I allowed to do that, and now I can't request it be unbanned?
Warren: Anybody can request for the account to be banned because you're saying that you didn't create the account information, but if it was someone else's account and they actually have access to it, they could contact us if they actually have access to that email and everything that was used to create the account with and such, they can provide all the information that would be completely needed for them to get that unbanned. And in this case, right now what we're looking at here is that no one has disputed that information, so this account is still currently on a ban, and right now because of those refund requests that was made, you're basically looking at the fact that because we cannot refund the charges from a banned account, the only solution or option that you have at this point would be to dispute the charges with a bank by following up, filing for fraudulent charges.
Me: I understand the logic. However, it doesn't... make sense. From my point of view, one day I see fraudulent charges on my card, and regardless of your internal workings, those need to be refunded. I mean, it's preferable for both of us, for both me and Sony, if those funds refunded versus a chargeback, which is going to be bad for you because it damages the rating, and I don't understand why this is a problem. Sorry if I'm being harsh, but it... it doesn't make sense.
Warren: It's beyond more information than what you're trying to bring up. Basically, what they're able to do and not able to do, you're basically looking at literally the only option for you at this very moment for you to be able to get all that money back from that sub-account would be for you to dispute the charges with the bank.
Me: I don't understand what you mean by "literally your only option". Are you saying that it's physically impossible for Sony to fund $229.97 [note: should be $269.94] into my card?
Warren: Yes, that is exactly what I'm explaining to you, is that they can't take the charges from that sub-account to fund it back to you because the account is on that ban.
Me: How... What do you mean by "can't"? The reason the account exists in the first place is because someone else created it under my account without my permission.
Warren: I understand.
Me: Is there someone with the authority to override this? That I could talk to?
Warren: No, but again, I mean, at this point, there is... I mean, we have supervisors, but they're going to tell you basically the same thing, because that's where I got my information from, which is in this case, they're basically putting it just in the short and sweet of it all is that in order for you to get your money back that was made from the purchases from that sub-account, literally the only way you're gonna be able to get all your money back from those purchases from that sub-account would be for you to file for fraudulent charges.
Me: Okay. And I have a question about that. So when I do file for fraudulent charges, I have heard that that would lead to the closing of my account. Is that correct?
Warren: It would lead to the closing or the banning of that specific account. In this case...
Me: Which would be the sub-account.
Warren: Correct, because that's where the money that you are expecting the rest, or the balance of, to come from, because that's the money they cannot submit the refund for on that, so that's the charges you would be disputing with the bank to have them take back from Sony for you so that you can get that money back.
Me: So it would apply to the account whose Online ID is boamama10?
Warren: Correct, just that sub-account, yes.
Me: And it wouldn't affect that main account that the sub-account is under.
Warren: Not unless you're gonna end up disputing any charges that are a part of that master account.
Me: Got it. Well, thank you. I'm sorry if I let my temper get the best of me. I know your job is hard. And um, thanks for your help. And I guess I'll go ahead and file for those fraudulent charges. Thank you.
Warren: Not a problem. You have any other questions?
Me: So in the hypothetical situation where I've been recording this call, would give your consent? I think I forgot to say that at the beginning. I'll delete the call if you decline.
Warren: Anybody can do what they want. That would be your choice.
Me: I'm just saying that because Sony seems to be based out of California, which is a two-party consent state. Well, thank you.
Warren: Okay.