Code as a gift – Newspaper Kommersant No. 206 (7407) dated 11/08/2022
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Svyaznoy, M.Video and Eldorado began to offer buyers codes for replenishing their PlayStation and iTunes wallets, which disappeared from sale after the halt of Sony and Apple operations in Russia. Unlike private sellers, large retailers offer only “consultations”, while the replenishment code is given “as a gift”. The partner of the action was the Good Deeds Service company, the main beneficiary of which is the managing partner of LETA Capital Alexander Chachava. But lawyers see risks for consumers: the service will be considered rendered even if the “gift” code does not work or leads to account blocking.
“Kommersant” found in the catalog of the Svyaznoy store cards for replenishing the wallet in the PlayStation Store game store, denominated in dollars, as well as for paying for a PlayStation Plus subscription for the United States. PlayStation vouchers are designed as a “gift” for “account activation consultation”, which is issued after registration in your personal account, according to the rules for participating in the promotion. It clarifies that “gifts are provided by partners of the organizer of the action,” whose names were not disclosed. Under the same conditions, subscriptions are also sold in the Digital Bazaar store. Kommersant sent a request to Digital Bazaar, Svyaznoy declined to comment.
The organizer of the action is the Good Deeds Service (SDD), a company that provides services for setting up computers and household appliances. It separated from the Russian division of ESET in 2017, 67% of the authorized capital belongs to the managing partner of LETA Capital Alexander Chachava, 23% – to the CEO Denis Mateev.
SDD maintenance subscriptions are sold in M.Video, Eldorado, MTS and Beeline stores, as well as on Ozon (the marketplace itself is the seller). M.Video and Eldorado also offer iTunes gift cards at a price of 1.8 thousand rubles. at a par value of 1 thousand rubles; like PlayStation vouchers in Svyaznoy, they come with a consultation from SDD. Buyers “get what is stated in the description – both access and consultation,” in the near future it is planned to introduce an assortment and offers for PlayStation owners, Kommersant was told in M.Video-Eldorado. “Kommersant” sent a request to the SDD.
After the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, Sony turned off the PlayStation Store in Russia. This led to an increase in sales of vouchers intended for Poland, Turkey and other countries on Ozon and Avito (see Kommersant of June 7). Apple’s iTunes store is still operating in Russia, but you can only pay from a mobile account of some operators. Ruble App Store and iTunes gift cards are also sold on Ozon and Avito.
Retailers and distributors do not import replenishment vouchers directly, as they are afraid of blocking customer accounts, a Kommersant source among distributors believes. He adds that selling physical cards with recharge codes is “a small business, and using vouchers meant for other regions is not intuitive for customers.”
PlayStation owners in Russia need to choose an account in a different region, based not only on prices, but also on the availability of games translated into Russian, Vasily Ovchinnikov, developer of the PvP.Tools platform, explains: top-ups can only be redeemed five days after account creation.
Sellers offer consultations from SDD, and not directly replenishment codes, in order to insure themselves against claims from consumers, Alexey Darkov, senior lawyer at Birch Legal, notes: or for a service rendered. Formally, consultation will be provided, and the consumer is unlikely to be able to prove that the store guaranteed the operation of the key, the expert emphasized. Mikhail Zhuzhzhalov, senior lawyer at Tomashevskaya & Partners, added that the service agreement “can also be terminated at any time, with significant difficulties for the client in terms of compensation for losses.”
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