In a rather surprising turn of events, Gamers Hideout (GH) has apologized for its highly-criticized ‘Purchase-with-purchase’ PS5 bundle stunt last week.
The forced bundle last week came without warning or prior announcement when GH went live on their webstore with the PS5 pre-orders.
Customers were caught off guard when they were greeted with a firing squad of mandatory side purchases as the requirement for pre-ordering the highly-anticipated PS5 from the store.
Among the side purchases that stood out like a sore thumb was the ‘PS4 Mystery Pack’ that comes in 3 choices – Action, Adventure, and Sports. This mandatory purchase costs RM 399. The PS5 Disc version that was supposedly sold at RM 2299 was skyrocketed to an average of RM 3000+ after the mandatory side purchases.
Needless to say, this arrangement irked many customers. Apart from the backlashes the store received on their FB page, some even took their dissatisfaction to Sony Malaysia.
In our previous coverage of the matter, we suggested that GH should offer an explanation or even remedy the situation with a refund.
And earlier today, an announcement was published on GH’s FB page indicating their willingness to offer some form of remedy. The full statement below;
The store has offered their apology and cited regret for their action while saying they will soon get in touch with customers who’ve pre-ordered the PS5 with them to “re-adjust your purchases to what you are most comfortable with”.
People have responded differently to the new development. Some applauded the store’s willingness to take a step back, while some criticizing it as unsincere and questioned if the store’s backtracking was due to pressure from Sony.
Anyhow, as a customer who paid for the pre-order myself, I personally welcome any moves that seek to amend the soured trust and relationship. What remains for me now is to wait for the call and see what options they have. No doubt, the only “re-adjustment” I’ll be most comfortable with is the one that allows me to convert my unwanted side purchases for other PS5 accessories/peripherals or a refund.
