With the news that GamePro reported on, that SonyStyle has more PS3s in stick for this promotion, I decided I might just go ahead and get one. When I went to their site, it still says it's out of stock. What's more, they want to charge sales tax. That doesn't make sense, because there are no Sony stores in Maryland, as far as I can see. Their site doesn;t show one, and a quick Google search didn't turn one up either.
So I called SonyStyle to find out about this sales tax thing, and why the reports are they have PS3s in stock and the site says they don't. I mean, at $350 with the credit card, I'm trying to convince myself to take the bait and buy one just to be format neutral. $350 and 5 free movies, even if I dont care for a lot of them isn't a terrible deal, Sony-hating aside.
So I call and ask first about the stock. Do they have them or not? The guy was nice and friendly. He said that what they were told yesterday was that no, they do not have any in stock. So GamePro lied. He did say though that they expect to get some in the middle of September, but not many, since it is a discontinued product and they are taking orders. It's a first come, first serve basis. No guarantee you'll actually get one. Fair enough.
So then I asked him why I was being charged sales tax when there is no store in Maryland. This is where he starts stuttering. He said "Well, uh... It's company policy to charge sales tax." I explained that when you order on line and there is no store in your state, sales tax doesn't apply. I used my MacBook Pro as an example of how a sales tax would apply because Apple has stores in Maryland. He fumbled some more and said "Uh... Well I donn't know the laws but we always charge sales tax." He then gave an example of a college student who ordered a Vaio. They lived in New York but went to school in Wisconsin so they were charged Wisconson sales tax. I said "That isn't my point. When a company has no presence in a state and they sell something online, there is no sales tax. Have you ever been charged sales tax when you order from Amazon.com?" His reply: "Uh... No... But they are another company, I dont know their policy..." Me: "Yes, but that is my point. You shouldn't be charging sales tax if the customer is out of state. It isn't about company policy. It's the current laws for online purchases. Sony doesn't need to charge a Maryland sales tax if they have no stores there." Him: "Uh... Im sorry I dont know why." I said thank you and hung up.
I decided to call back and ask someone with more brains. This guy was a dick and didn't even want to talk to me. Pretty unprofessional, as he was laughing as he answered the phone. I asked about the sales tax again. he says "It's the law to charge sales tax." I said "Yeah, as long as you have a store in the state you are selling the item to. There are no Sony stores in Maryland." Him: "Well, it is company policy to charge sales tax." I said "I understand if you have a store here, and I'll gladly pay the tax, but I would like to be able to pick it up from a store to save on shipping. But there are no stores in Maryland, so why are you charging the sales tax?" He cuts me off and with a sarcastic tone he says "Because that's the law. We charge everyone sales tax." Me: "It's the law if your store has a presence in the state. The closest Sony store is in Virginia. But I live in Maryland. Other online stores don't charge sales tax if the customer is out of state. So why am I being charged sales tax?" Him in a sarcastic tone: "Sony is a huge company. We are everywhere." Me: "Not according to your website. If there is a Sony store in Maryland I'm not aware of, I will gladly pay the sales tax, but tell me where it is so I can pick it up and save on the shipping." Him: "I don't know. Our policy is to charge sales tax. There is nothing we can do about that." Me: "Thank you." Him: *CLICK*
So it seems to me that Sony has a policy in place that they charge you sales tax whether they need to or not. And what do they do with the money? Keep it, no doubt. No company is going to pay the government one red penny they don't have to. I find it hard to believe Sony would pay money to Maryland for something Maryland isn't owed. Unless they think it will help BD win the format war.
Sony is an utter douchebag company with dickheads for employees and extortion like policies. I feel ashamed I even considered buying one of their products.