Technical Help

[Foxxis]

We have been having this problem on and off for a couple of months. I have done too much research and tried to get in contact with the local support (Sweden) to no avail. 

The problem is that it is impossible to add funds to the online wallet both during a purchase or as a separate action. The attempt is met with the "Can't add funds to wallet" or "Error 80023102". 

I know of the usual suggestions for solution of this problem, so to prove that the error isn't on our end here they are and debunked:

- We have tried with difference credit cards. Both cards have had the small test-charge gone through without a problem. So there is no adress or credit card detail problem.

- We have managed to buy content using both cards. The error is thus intermittent. It sometimes works, but most often not. AND this is without us changing anything. No network changes, no card detail changes. Nothing. It rarely works, but on some occasions it does.

- There are no connection problems. Online gaming is problem free, all other actions in the store or vs. PSN works well. We have tried connecting the PS3 with an ethernet cable directly to the cable modem = no router or firewall inbetween. This has no effect on the problem.

- The credit card company has investigated the issue and for all our attempts report that Sony has not attempted a charge. The transaction is aborted before it has even begun contacting a payment processor or bank. So it is not the case of our credit card company denying the charge.

All in all, I am 100% confident that this problem lies with Sony and I would like to see this resolved. I am a professional game developer by trade and my guess is that Sony has implemented some rigorous security system in the wake of the fiasco that led to accound and credit card details being stolen. This security system generates false positives and is apparently for some reason blocking our attempt to spend money with Sony.

Rest assured we will NOT purchase any additional Sony products this or the next generation unless this is responded to in a professional matter and resolved. If Sony doesn't want our money and denies our transactions then fine - we will take our business elsewhere.

Regards,

Foxxis

Disappointed customer.

[OrbofTheDragon]

hey im trying to figure out how to add funds in to my psn account... but it seems to be a bit tricky..

at 1st i tried doing it via the psn it self at the ps3's shop had no luck got 80023102 when i tried to purchess a game..

then i tried to add it to my cart and checkout got an error "the funds could not be added"..

so i looked up thouse errors in the net... i got to https://store.playstation.com/accounts/manage

but i had not luck... after i clicked add funds to my account and agreed to use my credit card i get the error "the card iformation is not valid" so i tried to check my account info but nothing helped im stuck right here with no ability to but stuff in the psn shop..

can you help me please?

[TTDegs]

adding cards to your PSN account does seem to be an issue for many people - PSN is very picky about the details being EXACTLY correct when verified with the card provider.

If you try too many time PSN will block your card (ONLY blocked with PSN, NOT for general buying stuff!) for 24 hours.

Best bet is to make absolutely certain that you type the info in correctly - which is not made easy by some card providers.
Typical issues are extra spaces (especially if you have no middle name), or addresses which have (say) the town name on a different line to where you might expect it to be.

Ultimately, may people resort to using PSN cards instead - available from many stores, or even online.
Sometimes this can actually work out cheaper, as several reputable online stores sell £20 PSN cards for about £17.

[OrbofTheDragon]

i see...
well this is really sad...
can you please link me to one of those sites?

[TTDegs]

you're best of keeping an eye on the "bargain bin" thread -> http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-3-General-Discussion/The-Bargain-Bin/td-p/3084957...

if you go back a few pages, there is normally someone who has mentioned a good place

Or failing that, put up a reply in there asking - someone will be able to point you at the latest deal

[chrisa3211]

The credit card compatibility problem pre-dates the hacking scandal, unfortunately some cards simply won't work and you'll have to rely on PSN Cards to fund purchases.

You can try contacting UK tech support, but I'd be surprised if they were able to suggest a magical solution. For what it's worth, here are a few things to bear in mind:

Spoiler

It ca be very selective when it comes to putting card information in - you can try adding/removing middle initials from your name and seeing if it accepts that, or try inputting them online:

https://account.qriocity.com/login.action?request_locale=en_GB

There are various conditions to the billing details as well, check none of these apply to you:

- Military addresses are currently unable to be accepted as a valid address on the PlayStation Network.
- It is recommended that you remove any special characters when entering your billing address into the PlayStation Network account registration form such as, asterisks, hyphens, and slashes.
- The billing information may be case sensitive.

Bear in mind that after 3 unsuccessful attempts you will be locked out from entering card details for 24 hours, so if you have been entering incorrect details and only after 3 did you correct it, this may be the problem.

If it still won't work your best bet is to call customer services on the following number:

0844 7360595

[Foxxis]

Thanks for the reply!
However, you don't take into account the fact that both cards do work. Sometimes.

First I successfully used one (mastercard) for...2+ years. Suddenly one day (a week after the GT5 DLC) it ceased to function giving me the "wallet funding error". So, I switched to another card which didn't work..until a week or so ago. It worked for one DLC. The other day it didn't work again.

So, in both cases you have cards that have gone from functioning->non functioning or the other way around. So, I don't accept the "incompatible card" explanation. Also, I don't accept the suggestion that the problems are due to peculiar characters in the name/address details etc. Again, that cards have worked.

This is something else entirely and it reeks of either a failed security implementation or just very poorly managed back-end systems.

Again, I would like to see this resolved and I won't spend any more time trying to deal with non-responsive support. Nor call a UK number.
Either someone with interest sees this and acts on it, or it is bye bye Sony.

[chrisa3211]

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Foxxis wrote:

So, in both cases you have cards that have gone from functioning->non functioning or the other way around. So, I don't accept the "incompatible card" explanation.

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The incompatibility could be temperamental, especially as the 80023102 error code is a generic network code which relates to difficulties connecting to PSN...

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Foxxis wrote:

Also, I don't accept the suggestion that the problems are due to peculiar characters in the name/address details etc. Again, that cards have worked.

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...but yeah, as I said those were just a few things to bear in mind - I suspect it's a server side issue as that would explain the temperamentality as well as the large number of people experiencing the problem.

I'm assuming you used the support@se.playstation.com contact email?

I can understand that it's inconvenient, but it wouldn't stop me from using my PS3, especially when PSN cards can end up being cheaper than direct funding.

[Foxxis]

You are right, a simple google search for "can't add funds to wallet" or the error number reveals that there are and have been *many* other users suffering the same fate. In some of those cases the issue was solved by changing cards or reentering address details in another way, but for a surprisingly large group there was no cure and in some cases it fixed itself in a few weeks. I thought our problem had fixed itself when the card suddenly worked a week or so ago, only to again be annoyed when it failed again the other day.

As for the support email - yes I tried it. It redirects to Nordisk Film As which is the nordic distributor. I got a reply from their hotline with a (badly) cut and paste reply along the same lines as the first one here. When I say badly cut and paste I mean that it wasn't even complete. I followed up with more info in a eloquent and mild-mannered way but got no reply back despite numerous reminders. The only support number in the nordics is handled by Nordisk Film and is a pay-per-minute number.

So, as far as support goes in this region, Sony is way behind and their distributor apparently doesn't care. As a contrast, when I had problems with Xbox Live a few years back, the help was swift, easy to find - and free - from Microsoft Sweden. Sure, you pay for Live, but I would rather pay for service than get shafted without.

As for using the PS3, sure we will. But I won't buy a PSN card. Why? For one it would benefit both Sony and Nordisk Film, both of which show utter disregard for paying customers. Secondly, it would be a workaround to a problem that shouldn't exist. If Sony want me to spend money in their online store, I am not going to jump through hoops to be able to do so (for example going to a physical store to buy a card with a code on it).

So, it's simply really. Either Sony gets their act together, and swiftly, or I will simply take my money to the party that treats me best - and lo and behold: actually allows me to conduct online purchases in a hassle-free manner.

It's their game to lose at this point.

[chrisa3211]

Yeah it's unfortunate that many of the non-UK countries' Tech Support is actually a third party rather than Sony themselves, but it's worse that the UK support often refuses to help people from other countries.

Of course the problem shouldn't exist, but when there's a simple workaround it's always worth mentioning!

I guess the problem is that it's hard to prove definitely that Sony are at fault, and when there are so many variables in between it often is something else causing the problem. Anyway, hopefully your problem resolves itself soon!