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PS3 bundling could lead to delays

Since the PlayStation 3 was released 12 months ago it has been a popular item for promotional bundles, but customers shouldn't pay for one expecting instant gratification.

Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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Ty Pendlebury
2 min read

In December, Sony announced it would give away a free PlayStation 3 with every Full-HD BRAVIA sold before 28 January 2008, but some people are still yet to receive theirs up to four months later.

Sony's PlayStation 3 has been sold to almost 250,000 homes with the help of bundling.

After the promotion ended, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia head Michael Ephraim said that "28,000-plus" consoles had been bundled with TVs since it began on December 21, 2007.

While most customers seem to have received theirs, it appears that TV stock shortages have lead to some customers still waiting for their PS3s to arrive.

Sony's Graham Keogh, former product manager for LCD TV, said that stock delays resulted from the "extremely good" response to the promotion.

Keogh said that a combination of back-ordered TVs, and the fact that customers needed to send back proof-of-purchases, had pushed the redemption date out till March 10. He said PlayStation 3 shortages weren't an issue.

"There are only one or two left and a shipment of PlayStation 3s came in this week, and the rest of them should be sent in the next couple of days", Keogh said.

However, one CNET.com.au reader who is still waiting for his PS3 was told by a customer service representative yesterday that he may have to wait until the end of May.

Keogh said that people who are still waiting should receive an extra gift — such as a free movie — to reward their patience: "We haven't tried to be evil about it, we've tried to do the right thing", he said.

On Tuesday, Sony announced it had sold 238,000 PS3s in Australia in its first year and this figure appears to include the amount bundled with the BRAVIAs.

Bundling PlayStation 3s with other products has been a popular tactic, with Dodo also recently announcing a low-cost PlayStation 3 with one of its mobile phone plans.

While the company charges AU$99 upfront for the PS3, plus a $29.90 delivery fee and the first month's phone access, it's only in the small print that the company mentions that the machine won't be delivered for up to two months after sign up. However, one sales representative we spoke to at Dodo wasn't even able to tell us when the PS3 would arrive.