Sony cracks down on UAE retailers over PS3 imports

After all the ruckus about people importing games and consoles not intended for release in their countries, Sony Gulf has come out with guns blazing against major retailers in the United Arab Emirates who are selling unauthorized PS3 consoles prior to the official Middle East launch in March.

A lot of retail chains in the UAE including Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG, Geant hypermarkets and JackyÂ’s Electronics, are selling PS3 consoles designed for use in the US and Japan and sourced from unauthorized distribution channels.

A majority of the retailers are selling both the 20GB and 60GB versions of the PS3 console at highly inflated prices – some up to double the consoles’ recommended retail prices, as confirmed by Sony Gulf in November.

Colin Thomas, marketing manager of Sony GulfÂ’s PlayStation division, expressed the company’s disappointment with the way retailers are acting. Thomas also added that the retailers don’t even bother informing their customers that the PS3s they are selling are “Japanese and US imports, and they are not making consumers aware that the consoles are not fully functional nor are they covered by a Sony warranty.”

Thomas pointed towards a lack of legal avenues through which Sony can prosecute the retailers has bogged down the company’s attempts to stop unauthorized console importation. “We have attempted to build a case based on laws bound by the UAE Telecommunications Regulation Authority (TRA), regarding the legality of these unauthorised PS3s being sold in the UAE, but they seem to hold little weight,” he explained.

After all the ruckus about people importing games and consoles not intended for release in their countries, Sony Gulf has come out with guns blazing against major retailers in the United Arab Emirates who are selling unauthorized PS3 consoles prior to the official Middle East launch in March.

A lot of retail chains in the UAE including Virgin Megastore, Sharaf DG, Geant hypermarkets and JackyÂ’s Electronics, are selling PS3 consoles designed for use in the US and Japan and sourced from unauthorized distribution channels.

A majority of the retailers are selling both the 20GB and 60GB versions of the PS3 console at highly inflated prices – some up to double the consoles’ recommended retail prices, as confirmed by Sony Gulf in November.

Colin Thomas, marketing manager of Sony GulfÂ’s PlayStation division, expressed the company’s disappointment with the way retailers are acting. Thomas also added that the retailers don’t even bother informing their customers that the PS3s they are selling are “Japanese and US imports, and they are not making consumers aware that the consoles are not fully functional nor are they covered by a Sony warranty.”

Thomas pointed towards a lack of legal avenues through which Sony can prosecute the retailers has bogged down the company’s attempts to stop unauthorized console importation. “We have attempted to build a case based on laws bound by the UAE Telecommunications Regulation Authority (TRA), regarding the legality of these unauthorised PS3s being sold in the UAE, but they seem to hold little weight,” he explained.