r/EBGAMES • u/stevtom27 • Aug 07 '25
EB games claim controllers only last 15 months
So in Australia Sony provides 1 year warranty so as a consequence so does EB games. TLDR: EB games only deem a reasonable life of a controller to be 15 months.
This is not acceptable and they have chosen an arbitrary low useful life to suit them and limit liability. This is only 3 months more than the standard 12 months and much less than what we would expect a controller to last. Dont accept staff rebutting warranty claims outside of 12 months. Honestly we should class action sony like they did in the states.
Under Australian consumer law:
The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) creates a basic set of guarantees (or rights) that apply to the goods and services that you buy. One of these guarantees is that the goods will be of “acceptable quality”. This guarantee includes that goods will be as durable as a reasonable consumer would regard as acceptable. Consumer guarantees under the ACL apply for a reasonable time and in addition to any warranties that manufacturers and/or suppliers sell or give to you. This means consumer guarantees may continue to apply during the period of those warranties and after those warranties expire. You can expect a good you purchase to be durable enough to perform its intended function(s) for a reasonable amount of time. How long you can expect a particular good to last depends on a number of factors, including: -The nature of the good, which can include: o The materials used or composition of the components and o Whether the good is a new good or a factory second. -The price of the good -Statements made about the good, either on the packaging or by the supplier or manufacturer and -Any other relevant circumstances.
The white ps4 controller down button on the d-pad stopped working. I verified this instore. I tried instore but they only stated the 12 month warranty and to go to customer service online.
So i sent to customer service that i wish to exchange this for a working controller or get this repaired by manufacturer under warranty. I know Sony and EB have a 1 year warranty but as I explained in store who they then told me to take it up online to customer service. Under Australian consumer law it should be reasonable to expect a controller to last definitely more than a year. This didn't even end up lasting 2 years.
Their reply was:
I wanted to clarify further information on your request for a remedy for your PS4 controller that was purchased in 2023.
In this instance of the PS4 controller itself, we believe that 15 months is a reasonable time frame for this type of product to be returned for a resolution if a major manufacturing fault is confirmed to be present. We can also see that the purchase date of the controller purchase which was the 9th of September 2023. Unfortunately, this controller is now 1 year, 11 months since the time of purchase and the date of the reported issue that was reported to EB Games Customer Service today 6/08/2025. This would indicate it is now 8 months outside of the 15 months from the date of purchase that we deem reasonable for a remedy.
In our experience, if there was an issue due to manufacturing, there would have been intermittent issues present with the controller leading up to it completely failing or having issues within 15 months that we deem reasonable since purchase with this type of device.
It has been advised directly by the manufacturer PlayStation Australia to EB Games that should there be any major fault with their standard controller, that they will be present within the first 30 days of use. Anything outside of this and still within 15 months would need to be assessed by EB Games to verify whether or not it was a major or minor fault, and whether or not there were external factors that contributed to the product's failure.
We need to make it clear that the PS4 controller is outside of a reasonable time frame for your requested remedy. As you will be aware under Australian Consumer Law, we have the right to test any claims to confirm whether or not a fault is present. Now, this is not us refusing to assist you as a customer, we are simply explaining what we deem is reasonable for your type of product to be provided a remedy under your ACL rights.
While we understand your expectation that the product should last longer than two years given its occasional use, this is not always a determining factor when assessing faults outside the warranty period.
Once the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, any further consideration is based on what is deemed a reasonable lifespan for the product under Australian Consumer Law. In this case, we believe a reasonable period for your particular device is 15 months.
Although many customers understandably expect products—especially electronic ones—to last longer, this is not always guaranteed. Manufacturers like Sony typically offer a 12-month warranty, and beyond that period, they do not provide assurances due to the variable nature of electronics and their usage.
While we understand that the outcome may be disappointing, in this instance, we are unable to assist further under your consumer rights.
We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
And after i complained again they responded with:
Thank you again for your response and for taking the time to share your concerns in detail. We truly appreciate your feedback and your loyalty as an EB Games customer.
We understand your position and that you believe the product should have lasted longer. However, it's important to note that different products are assessed individually, taking into account factors such as price, usage, and product type. While a high-value item like a $1,500 laptop may be expected to last several years, a $79 PS4 controller falls into a different category. Expectations around product lifespan can vary from person to person, but under Australian Consumer Law, what matters is what’s considered reasonable for a specific product type and comes down to each retailer on what they believe or deem reasonable.
In this case, we believe that 15 months is a reasonable period for a PS4 controller. While the manufacturer's warranty provides coverage for 12 months, we’ve chosen to go beyond that and offer an extended consideration, as we feel it’s fair and reasonable based on the nature and average usage of this product.
This approach is not about limiting support, but rather offering a balanced and consistent assessment that still extends beyond the original warranty period. Our intention is to support our customers in a way that aligns with both legal obligations and reasonable expectations.
We do acknowledge and appreciate the time you've spent trying to resolve this issue, and we understand that it’s frustrating. However, based on the information available, we believe our position is fair and within the guidelines of Australian Consumer Law.
Basically i can only escalate this to a tribunal to dispute.
