I wish you luck. Please update us when something happens.

Go for it!

Advertising is a tricky, tricky thing. There are more loopholes for companies to get out of complaints than for customers to actually receieve compensation and satisfaction. I have seen these bundles myself and they are moderately misleading, but I often assume anything with AT&T on it will ask me to pay for it  first.

I hope this ends well for you, dude. 

This will be interesting...keep us posted!

Too bad the case will get thrown out of court because you most likely agreed to the terms of service on PSN which forces you into arbitration and a mediator, instead of taking it to court.

Bit misleading saying you are suing Sony in the title when you haven't actually done so.  Kinda similar to what Sony did to you. :)

I'm not trying to give you a hard time here, and the wording is poor on the ad, but it did say that you get the Data Session "with activation," i.e. you have to activate before getting it. One thing I've learned after years of doing business with cell phone carriers is that "with activation" always means you're paying for something.

I find it hard to believe that the box did not reference terms and conditions posted online (this is common practice now) that outline the limitations of the offer, or perhaps your retailer had some literature about the offer's terms and conditions.

Also aren't you supposed to be an informed member of the gaming press?  How can you play victim in this case?  Also this offer sounds like it stems more from AT&T than it does from Sony.

"Over $55 Bonus Value. 8GB Memory Card, AT&T Data Session And A Downloadable Game With Activation For A Limited Time Only."

There is a clear requirement to this offer right within the text you have revealed 'with activiation', notice it doesn't say everything you need is right in the box.

Clearly you were looking at the box with wishful eyes, I have seen this same box and I didn't assume that meant I was getting a bunch of stuff for free.

... you do realize that nowhere are you promised a free game, right? Just wanted to point that out.

You say they cheated you out of $55. Lets break down the value of all the components that added up to that $55 figure.

8 gig memory card $30 - You should have gotten this in the box.

1 free PSN game $10 - Code sent by email after one month. Cheesy yes. BTW, do you want my code? I already bought SSDD so I have a code I'll never be able to use. Send me an email at "me-bitmob at kazriko.us" and I'll forward it to you.

1 month AT&T service - $15, with $15 purchase of 1 month.

So, you ultimately only lost $25 worth of stuff, and only lost it because you didn't want to cover the first $15 of the cost of AT&T service. 

If I give you my SSDD code, then you ultimately are only missing out on $15 worth of stuff... and you can still get that as a two-for-one deal too. Don't bother getting more than 250mb, I only used 80mb my first month with it.

"With activation" Did you not read that on the box?

I think the point here is that it's vague about what you need to activate in order to obtain the game. The wording seems to imply that you get the game when you activate your free data session. It doesn't state that you need to purchase one first, then get the free one and the game together. It should read something like "Over $55 Bonus Value. 8GB Memory Card, Plus A Free Month Of AT&T Data And Downloadable Game With Purchase Of One Month AT&T Data Session For A Limited Time Only." This would clearly spell out all the conditions.

Why didn't you just return it to the original retailer? That's what you're supposed to do in these situations, not act like an internet martyr because you didn't read the box.

If you felt so betrayed and taken advantage of, why didn't you just flip your car right back around and return the vita to wherever you purchased it from? If you're such a Sony fan, then you know Sony usually overpromises and underdelivers.  This should be common sense by now.

I can't be the only one failing to see that Ed should be more upset with himself and his lack of reading comprehension. The article is written as a reach for pity, while all I can see is his lack of understanding the implied word. Jeremy Himelston & Jacques Jones both outline why the logic used in this argument is flawed.

The bottom line is your assumptions blinded you to a standardized set of legal words often used for similar devices. There's no case here, simply a miunderstanding on Ed's part to fully realize what the words convey. Furthermore, you didn't pay any more than the 3G model would have cost you without any of the impied extras and you still received an 8gb memory card.

I wanted to comment to some who say it is my fault for not reading the words properly on the box. I have done extensive research, and I am not the only one fooled by this. Apparently, many IGN editors have been fooled by the same, and wrote front page articles and even videos on IGN's Vita and PS3 pages complaining about Sony's manipulative advertising.

Like I said in my article, nowhere on the box does it say that you have to pay in order to recevie these "Bonuses". Nowhere, not even in the fine print, does it say that the "activation" it was talking about was a paid activation. The wording on the box was used to manipulate the reader into thinking the "Activation" was for the free data pass. What many of us were fooled into believing was if we activated the free data pass, we would get the free game and free month of 3G service.

If Sony's intent was to charge us for these free features, then why didn't they tell us that? Why didn't the fine print say "Paid Activation of Data Pass"? Why were so many people fooled by this? Because it is manipualtive advertising. Plain and simple. Apparently, according to the reseach I have done, I have a very good case. Manipulative advertising is looked down upon, obviously.

I am not looking for pity. I am not looking for a pat on the back and a "Go for it!". What I am looking for, is consumers to finally say "Enough". To not attack fellow consumers who were exploited, and defend corporations who were so clearly in the wrong. By protecting them, and defending them, all you are doing is giving them a pass to do the same exact thing to you. And they will. And when that happens, and you're angry about it, are you going to just let it slide, or are you going to do something about it.

Also, I did not just turn around and return it because I spent over a week with the BBB filing a complain that I was sure Sony would want to clear up with a long time customer like me. By the time it was all over, I could no longer return the Vita.

"Hey Sony, you know what? We expect that you manipulate people into making purchases and have no expectation for you to be honest with us. Please continue to talk in vague code that needs to be deciphered, we won't say anything. In fact we'll verbally attack those who demand you be honest with them."