Sony Attempts to Compensate for Lost Time

{sidebar id=1}In the ongoing fiasco that is Sony entertainment, one can only assume as the network begins to come back online that we will begin seeing compensation for our information being stolen. Earlier in the week, Sony announced sketchy details of the compensation package for the PlayStation network outage.

PlayStation 3 users will be able to choose 2 games from a reported five titles to download for free. PSP gamers only have four titles to choose from. Either way, no one can complain about free games, right?

Well, I think that depends on the quality of the game. A number of years ago a similar problem happened with Microsoft where the only compensation that was given was access to games no one would want even if they were $.99.

Here’s to hoping Sony realizes our time is more valuable than Microsoft did.

In addition to the free games, an identity theft service provided by Debix will be offered free of charge for one year to any affected customer. If your information was stolen by the hackers, you should be getting an e-mail in the next 60 days explaining how to start your year of protection.

If you haven’t yet received your e-mail of doom citing the loss of your information, you still have some options. There are a number of credit reporting resources that cost only $6 per month. I personally use credit keeper to keep a watch on how my credit score is doing. If a bunch of attempts to open credit suddenly appear on my account, and I know it wasn’t me attempting to buy a yacht in Tahiti, then I can instantly alert the credit bureaus that my identity has been stolen.

At first, many of us felt at ease knowing we don't even own a PlayStation 3 and therefore must be safe. Then the news broke that not only PSN information was stolen, but the information of anyone who has ever played the game through Sony online entertainment as well. That means if you ever played EverQuest, Pirates of the Burning Sea, DC universe or something stupid like Infantry on the Sony online portal, your information was stolen.

In order to make up for the possible loss of our identity to some lowlife hackers, Sony is offering us a free Batman mask. No, I'm not kidding.

The following is the full list of compensation being given to anyone affected by Sony online entertainment's most embarrassing saga since Smedly approved the destruction of SWG with the infamous NGE:

• DC Universe™ Online: Batman™ and Two-Face™ Inspired Masks and 30 Marks of Distinction
• Free Realms®: Free daily items (7 to collect)
• Clone Wars Adventures™: Count Dooku v2 Outfit
• EverQuest®: A series of events, including Double XP, Double Rare Mob Spawns and Double Faction Gains
• EverQuest II and EverQuest II Extended: A series of events, including Double XP, Double Guild XP, Loot Bonanza, and City Festivals
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes®: A series of Double XP events
• Star Wars Galaxies™: Bounty Hunter Statue, a miniature model of Boba Fett's ship, the Slave I™
• Magic: The Gathering - Tactics™: Four of each of these spells: "Ivory Mask", "Duress" and "Angelheart Vial", plus 500 Station Cash
• PoxNora®: Limited edition Carrionling, Welcome Back 5K Gold Award Tournaments and two Draft Tournaments, plus 500 Station Cash

In addition to the in game bribery listed above, every player impacted by the outage will receive 30 days added to each subscription at the end of their current billing cycle, plus one day for every day the system was down

Granted, a little Station Cash and a few days of double XP is a good step in the right direction, but a statute and a mask are not exactly what I call a warm welcome home gift. If you want me to forgive you, Sony, you'll have to do better than that. Here's a hint, waving the subscription fee for two months or a brand-new game is a lot more valuable than in-game prizes I can wear on my characters/in my house announcing I was one of the “lucky ones” who got hacked.

Lifetime subscribers will receive some in-game currency, depending on what game you play, anywhere from 20,000 coins in Free Realms to 10 Marks of Distinction in DC Universe Online.

Is there actually some way to make up for a company letting your name, address, phone number, credit card number, security number, etc. be stolen?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I know so far, I'm not impressed. What about you?

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