Best Buy charges $30 for PS3 firmware update

[Vidboy10]

In case you hadn't noticed by now, Best Buy's Geek Squad isn't always the most scrupulous sort, but their latest attempt to upsell consumers is truly off the charts. We've confirmed for ourselves that the Staten Island, NY store is offering 120GB PS3 Slims for $329.98, explaining away the surcharge as their fee for a firmware upgrade. In case you've never booted up a PS3 yourself, let us explain the sheer ridiculousness at work here: a system update requires about three button presses, and some discs prompt you automatically. Hell, if you want to play online or access the PlayStation Store, you don't even have a choice -- ever since Other OS got Sony's goat, firmware updates have been mandatory across the board. Still, it's hard to say no when Best Buy employees are this polite -- when we explained to a rep that we already had a PS3, he graciously offered us an update anyhow... for just $29.98.[/p]
Source

 

[Joe88]

thats my local bestbuy...

 

[Scott-105]

What a good price for something that hard to do

 

[iFish]

I bought my PS3 at BestBuy

Good thing I beat this

 

[RupeeClock]

Who knows, maybe Sony is pushing them to pull this crap in a bid to block the likes of the PS3 jailbreak?

Wooo conspiracy wooo.

 

[xmrnogatcox]

I wonder how much it costs to downgrade to 3.15? lol

 

[Fudge]

That's bullshit. $30 for a firmware upgrade that any normal end user can do themselves. Ridiculous. Oh yeah, 900 posts!

 

[monkat]

It's like those kids that try to make money by "hacking" your Wii....with someone else's freely available tools and guides.

 

[smash_brew]

It's like those kids that try to make money by "hacking" your Wii....with someone else's freely available tools and guides.

I don't see anything wrong with receiving payment for a service rendered. although the software and tools may be readily available for free, there is nothing wrong with getting paid for your time. some people just can't figure things out or have no patience to learn, but if you can't update your ps3 firmware you shouldn't own a ps3. at least hacking a wii is a little more difficult then just updating firmware.

 

[CarbonX13]

I wonder if Future Shop offers the same deal...

 

[Forstride]

Gotta love Geek Squad. They charge like $100 for setting up a router in your house. They also have game console configurations for like $80, which they hook up to your TV, set internet connections, and other simple crap anyone could do.

Yet all the soccer moms and grandmas still flock there and give in to them like they are the only people that know how to do it, and it's extremely difficult otherwise.

 

[smash_brew]

just wanted to add that they charge for installing windows updates. same basic principle as updating the ps3. as long as you can buy the ps3 with out them bundling in the update i'm ok with this. let the uneducated people pay for this. doesn't bother me.

 

[Canonbeat234]

Hmm, Sony is playing the *firmware* card. Interesting...

 

[DarkShadow96]

Is it mandatory? I know with my local Bestbuy, it's mandatory for them to install antiviruses and windows on a newly purchased laptop and they charge about 60$ for something so damn simple...

But yea, is it mandatory that when you now buy a PS3 they force you into updating the firmware for 30bones?

 

[Schizoanalysis]

I can see why Sony don't want to sell any old firmware PS3 consoles.

 

[Finishoff]

Heck I'll pay if they can install 3.41 firmware into my newly purchased PS3. Otherwise no thank you.

 

[Joktan]

Wow that's so weird...what's next here is a free add for the store and that will be five bucks for the paper we used to print that out for you for free.

 

[purechaos996]

Do they charge for a turning on the console class too?

 

[Bladexdsl]

if your gonna get a ps3 get one off ebay after 1st drilling whoever is selling it what FW it has

 

[FencingFoxFTW]

I dont think this is Sony's initiative

Best Buy charges for the most ridiculous things

I think they charge $20 to hookup a system to your TV