Thursday, March 18, 2010

Home-Watch: UK Invasion!


Well, check this out. We have gone international! A Home user in the UK has sent me this. It's the story of a group of Home users who were harassed and banned by a mod over in the old world:

Hi, Just to let you know, if you haven't already spotted my posts to the blog, I've been banned from the PS forum after just 5 minutes of posting, I used the home-watch sig jpeg, not sure if that had anything to do with it, as I'm not sure if the geniuses at Lithium have extended the puerile behaviour regarding home-watch across the pond the here in the UK yet. (Home watch update: It appears Lithium doesn't extend their pitiful moderation services to the UK forums, we believe this user was just confused as to who runs what. For future reference we will refer to them as the UKMODS until a better and more correct title can be found) I was complaining about corrupt mods after being banned for glitching, which interestingly I CAN'T DO, HAVE NEVER DONE, AND HAVE NO DESIRE TO. Unbelievable, the mod in question is called AKA_NERO, my new id I called AKA_NEROS_ATURD, so I'm not sure if that might have played a part either. Either way, this ban is completely for fabricated reasons, this mod harrasses and bullies one of my mates, and because we was all together yesterday that's why I think this shit has happened.I also mentioned Homewatch and it's brilliant exposure of corrupt mods and their special suck-up friends. Anyway, i asked for who I should talk to so I could get hold of screen shots as proof, and also I wanted the name of the mod who had witnessed me doing this. Hidden agendas and clearly a pissed off customer are not the qualities Sony devote their customer services too, I am beyond furious. And for the record, the other peeps in the group also got banned for the same reason, and nobody was doing anything! Sony = Arseholes.

Love the blog btw,

[name removed]. aka [this one too]
I did a bit of digging, and found a topic posted by the author of thise email, but it has been removed: Official PlayStation® Community -PlayStation.com: English Forums: Staff Room: Removed Posts: COMPLETELY UNFAIR BAN

Thusfar, this user has been pretty lighthearted over this. Their posts and voices are only those of people who are sticking up from themselves. Asking questions, and receiving crappy treatment. Apparently they also got banned from the PSN network too.

Updated email: (Trimmed for size and flow)

I have never been banned, ever, so this came as a total shock. I believe this is a direct result of being on home on 16th March, virtually all day, just hanging out with my mates. When up pops this mod in Home Square called AKA_NERO. He is infamous for being a catergory 1 asshole, and is regularly surrounded by his suck-ups and cling-ons, who in turn snitch on anyone they overhear 'dissing him, or them for that matter. (Home-Watch Note: Sounds very familiar, we have some trolls like this here.) I was with a very good friend Spankie_Jizzard, Z-Pint and a few others doing nothing more sinister than hanging out and chatting mostly crap like you do. Soon as AKA_NERO spots Spankie he starts making remarks designed to provoke a reaction, we all move to the other side of the square, cos this dude has thrown numerous bans on Spankie, the last one because he was snooping on our conversation again, and he saw that Spankie had said that most of the mods in Home were ineffective. Nothing more than that, no name calling, no childish crap, just that, and that was in response to us all talking about sex pests, and how nobody ever does a damn thing about it, despite reporting it. So by now I guess you're getting the general idea. Anyway back to the day in question. Now you know how when you move from one area to another and the chat log changes to include peeps in that area? well interestingly despite being waaayyyyyy over the other side, AKA_NERO kept popping up with inane and sarcastic remarks into our conversation! We all started discussing that we found it interesting that it's one rule for some and a totally different rule for others. We weren't being offensive, just [speaking] generally how we all felt more than a little bullied and intimidated, and how childish and unnecessary it all was. By this time I had really had enough of AKA_NEROS goading so I left, along with a few others. Yesterday morning I get up and check my email, this is what was waiting for me:


PLAYSTATION®Network: 1-day Account Suspension‏
From: Grief_Report@scee.net
Sent: 17 March 2010 15:03:01
To: [removed]

Dear [name removed],

We are contacting you regarding your PLAYSTATION®Network account and your
recent online activity.

On 16/03/2010, your online activity in Home was in serious breach of the
PLAYSTATION®Network Terms & Conditions for the following reason(s): Glitch.

As a result of this unacceptable behaviour, your PLAYSTATION®Network
account has been suspended for 1 day.

This temporary ban will be lifted on 18/3/2010. Please be aware that any
further breaches of the service Terms & Conditions may result in a longer
or even permanent suspension of your account.

We ask that you use this time to reassess your online behaviour so that you
are more considerate to other PLAYSTATION®Network users when you join us
again online. We hope you can appreciate our obligation to the community as
a whole and to the rights of other users not to be subjected to disruptive
or offensive behaviour.

Yours Sincerely,
The Community Team

So you can imagine my anger, I immediately knew it HAD to be him, I don't even know how to Glitch. He clearly just thought "oh I'll throw that in because the chat log doesn't show her saying enough of anything to warrant a ban." I immediately try to log onto the forums, but wait I can't because my account is suspended! So I can't even hop onto a forum now and ask questions? So I create another ID, I log on and hop into a forum, I did not save it nor copy the text. I stated that I wanted to know how I could find out a couple of things, a screenshot as evidential proof, the mods name, etc. Then I went onto say how enlightening Home-watch blogspot is, as it seems that Nepotism and corrupt behaviour by the mods is rife, and that if it stretches from one side of the globe to the other, then Sony SHOULD be concerned. They have a public image they like to portray after all. I asked who mods the mods? It seem to me that they got a free reign and do whatever they want. I also asked if any other forum user had experienced this. At the bottom I included the Home-watch signature jpeg and sat back to wait. Approximately 3 minutes after posting I hit refresh to see if any new posts had been made, and that's when I got the "YOU HAVE BEEN BANNED FROM THIS SITE" waffle. Anyway, incredulous I fire up the PS3 and try to sign in, stunningly enough the new ID is banned. What is also interesting is that I haven't received any grief report for the ban via email, nada, zip.

You will see the timestamp on the email showing 15.03pm. By 15.05pm today I was on the phone to Sony. I had checked to see if the ban had been lifted, it had not. I speak to somebody called RAM, Indian dude. I explain i want 3 things, a screenshot, the name, and the ban lifted immediately. He try's to fob me off saying he will "escalate it." I respond no he won't, he will tell me the managers name right now, he will also lift the ban right now, the other 2 things I'll wait for. He puts me on hold for 8 minutes, nice touch on a premium rate number. Anyway, he comes back and tells me the supervisors name. He then tells me he can't give me a screenshot. I ask why, he responds that "we don't have that information." I immediately call him on that, referring to the chat logs that are searchable way way back. I also inform him that as a very senior manager in the IT industry for a very high profile company, that he should exercise caution if he thinks I can be blinded by "tech talk." He maintains I can't have a screenshot. I ask for the mods name, not surprisingly he also refused this. Again I ask why, I get the same response. I point out that as a consumer I have a LEGAL right to know who my accuser is, even the cops send you pics of yourself if you break the law! Are Sony above the Law now? Seriously?

I now point that its over 24 hours since the ban was imposed, it clearly says ONE day on the email, now my school taught me that 24 hrs = one full day/night period, or has Sony got a whole other secret clock that we know nothing about? I point out that they are in direct breach of their own T&C and are also operating outside of the Law according to Trading Standards. IT'S IN WRITING MORON! I also advise that I will be emailing the CEO, jack_tretton@playstation.sony.com and will also be Cc-ing in Trading Standards to ensure the email doesn't "get lost". Ram maintains that I will be contacted in due course via email telling me my account has been reactivated. By now my teeth were itching and my eyes were bleeding. However, being a tenacious kinda chick I also asked for the Supervisors name, he eventually comes back and gives me the name. I then ask for his supervisors bosses name. Ram directly asked me why do you want all this information? what's it for? I respond with gritted teeth that it's my right to know, so please find out I'll hold. Another five minutes pass, have now ground teeth into stumps, he comes back, he gives me the name, and now for the best bit. I ask for the bosses job title. A relatively easy question to answer I think. He says, and I quote "he is the manager of the supervisor" OH MY GOD. So I say ok Ram, if I were to write to this gentleman, would I address it to Phil Rampley. Manager of the Supervisor, Sony, London? SERIOUSLY? I really wanted to ask Ram if he was on day release from idiot club. I end the conversation there. Remarkably enough upon ending the conversation I check my network account and good God above it's working!

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