PlayStation website remote deactivation no-longer working: The connection to the server timed out.

[Sergen]

Recently I've tried to deactivate all my PS3 systems from alt accounts because they were activated on 2 systems, to have it only deactivate the PS4 and vita and leave the PS3s activated. I've not found any options for a live chat or email communication and calling them on the phone isn't something I'm able to do currently. However, I am interested to know if anyone else has these problems, googling it has had no results whatsoever except instructions for remote deactivation, but that's not exactly helpful when the remote deactivation isn't working. Due to how things are with PS3 remote deactivation currently, I recommend against anyone attempting to remote deactivate their systems on any account that is important to them because it likely won't remove your PS3s from the account and when you try again it will mention how you can only use the feature once every 6 months. The instructions you can use to replicate this yourself are here: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/get-help/help-library/my-account/device-activation-deactivation/remote-deactivation/

 

I've tried to remote deactivate on 3 accounts with no success these past couple of days. Do you think this is a result of the coronavirus outbreak and employees likely being required to work from home? I guess until things become normal in the world again, this might continue to be a problem until then. If anyone knows how to contact Sony via text on the internet rather than a phone call, that information would be appreciated.

 

Previously this issue was fixed, but unfortunately Sony fucked up again and broke the remote deactivation feature. We will probably need to wait and see this be fixed naturally instead of them bothering with helping their customers out.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Sergen

[Bliss]

34 minutes ago, Sergen said:

If anyone knows how to contact Sony via text on the internet rather than a phone call, that information would be appreciated.

I was actually wondering this as well. PlayStation UK only has the option of phoning them and I'm 99% sure there used to be a ticket system too. Wonder what happened. :/

[Big_Borba]

Hy Guys,

@Sergen , I had the same problem here... At the beginning of the month I tried to restart one of my accounts that already had the 2 slots occupied through the Sony website, when I performed the remote deactivation it was successful but did not release the accounts ... and if I try to run the process again , I get the message that the option has been used recently and I can only run it again in six months. I tried to restart another account yesterday, and the same problem occurred.

I'm trying to contact Sony via Chat, but when I select the account deactivation option, it pops up on a screen saying that there are problems with the customer service and asks to try the service in another region ... and in other regions the same error occurs. And by phone, the support does not answer, since all the sites in the region dismissed the attendants because of the COVID19 isolation measures.

Has this problem happened to anyone else here?

Any suggestions or solutions to the problem?

[dragonzombie1]

Happened to me last week, it only worked by pluggin and updating both ps3 and deactivating manually each console

[EdinhoN]

I've faced the same issue today. I tried contacting their live chat and the assistant gave me an online form to fill.

However I didn't need it as I could deactivate one of the guys that was using my other slot in the account.

 

[charxsetsuna]

This isn't a good sign for the near future of the ps3 

[HuntingFever]

It really wouldn't surprise me if Sony said sod it and removed support for their older systems on the deactivation website and just focused it on the PS4 and PS5.

[Afro_Gear]

I actually tried to do this yesterday and my deactivation wasn't working on any of my devices. I tried it again and it said I can't do it again for 6 months. Got on the chat support and they had me fill out a form to submit it. Within about 4 hours I got an email saying all of my devices have been deactivated. Thank goodness too as my fat PS3 just died on me.

[Sergen]

1 hour ago, Afro_Gear said:

I actually tried to do this yesterday and my deactivation wasn't working on any of my devices. I tried it again and it said I can't do it again for 6 months. Got on the chat support and they had me fill out a form to submit it. Within about 4 hours I got an email saying all of my devices have been deactivated. Thank goodness too as my fat PS3 just died on me.

Where do you find this chat support that you fill out a form for?

[Big_Borba]

On 18/04/2020 at 3:54 PM, Sergen said:

Where do you find this chat support that you fill out a form for?

 

U can request Live Chat in this url:

 

https://support.playstation.com/s/?language=en_US

[Big_Borba]

Just doing an update ... I was able to be served on Live Chat using the "Others" option. The attendant listened to my problem, asked if it was possible to deactivate the account on the current console (I informed you not), and then she sent a form requesting deactivation to the account email. I filled it out and after a few hours it worked.

Today I tried to run the procedure for another account, and the problem occurred again. But when I tried to ask for help in support, the attendant presented the same arguments to see if it was possible to deactivate the account manually, and I saying no, he informed that it was not possible to help and that I was to wait another 6 months and try again ... that there was no problem whatsoever on the Sony website ... and that because the account has already been activated on another console too, this configured sharing (which is against Sony's policy) and that the account could be blocked.

In short ... the situation is strange ... and can mean two things:

1) The functionality is buggy and there is no one to fix the problem, and maybe that will be solved when the isolation measures around the world are over.

2) Sony is giving a throwback to account sharing and starting to hinder the process ... and that is part of the product's phase-out, which is going downhill.

I really hope for option 1.

[Sergen]

1 minute ago, Big_Borba said:

Just doing an update ... I was able to be served on Live Chat using the "Others" option. The attendant listened to my problem, asked if it was possible to deactivate the account on the current console (I informed you not), and then she sent a form requesting deactivation to the account email. I filled it out and after a few hours it worked.

Today I tried to run the procedure for another account, and the problem occurred again. But when I tried to ask for help in support, the attendant presented the same arguments to see if it was possible to deactivate the account manually, and I saying no, he informed that it was not possible to help and that I was to wait another 6 months and try again ... that there was no problem whatsoever on the Sony website ... and that because the account has already been activated on another console too, this configured sharing (which is against Sony's policy) and that the account could be blocked.

In short ... the situation is strange ... and can mean two things:

1) The functionality is buggy and there is no one to fix the problem, and maybe that will be solved when the isolation measures around the world are over.

2) Sony is giving a throwback to account sharing and starting to hinder the process ... and that is part of the product's phase-out, which is going downhill.

I really hope for option 1.

 

They announce the removal of other features beforehand, so I'd like to think if they planned for this then they'd let people know about it before they decided to remove it. The instructions for deactivating a PS3 remotely on the website are still available and I don't think they'd keep that up if they went with the #2 option. I can patiently wait until people confirm that the issue has been fixed, can't be too mad at a company not keeping everything functional when everyone is in isolation.

[Kristmas2]

18 hours ago, Sergen said:

 

They announce the removal of other features beforehand, so I'd like to think if they planned for this then they'd let people know about it before they decided to remove it. The instructions for deactivating a PS3 remotely on the website are still available and I don't think they'd keep that up if they went with the #2 option. I can patiently wait until people confirm that the issue has been fixed, can't be too mad at a company not keeping everything functional when everyone is in isolation.

Keep us updated on this issue, I have also this problem..

[Sergen]

6 hours ago, Kristmas2 said:

Keep us updated on this issue, I have also this problem..

I’m waiting for someone to come here and  say “It works now guys” because they decided to try it. I only have so many accounts I could use until the issue is resolved naturally. 

[Kristmas2]

4 hours ago, Sergen said:

I’m waiting for someone to come here and  say “It works now guys” because they decided to try it. I only have so many accounts I could use until the issue is resolved naturally. 

But have you contacted Sony support about it? They should help, or at least tell what is going on.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Kristmas2

[Conker]

So this is not working when doing it online through psn store? Or through te console itself or both?

[Sergen]

15 minutes ago, Conker said:

So this is not working when doing it online through psn store? Or through te console itself or both?

 

You just can't use the "Deactivate All" option on the website to deactivate PS3 consoles from your account even if you haven't done a mass deactivation in the last 6 months, it removes the PS4 and nothing else.

[Lord_Bane999]

I don't know if they have changed anything since then but when I deactivated the ps3s after I no longer had them from my account about 5-6 years ago (cause idiot me didn't realize there was a system limit) even back then you could only deactivate ps3s one of two ways 1. On the console itself or 2. By sending in a form that you and to fill out to Sony

 

Even if you used live chat back then they would just direct you to the form. But you also typically had to send a form for each one you wanted deactivated as well so if you had 3 or 4 systems better hope the wait won't be long.

 

In regards to long wait times and broken service tickets. This could be due to either them closing the forums and faq this year possibly broke some tickets (they use to use the community forums and faq as a quick route to answering tickets automatically). They could have lower staffing currently for support due to Covid-19 closures. (Facebook support I know right now currently is a mess like this with some people getting replies on their tickets that they can't be followed through currently.)

[blkburn123]

im having the same problem. Went to plug my ps3 in last week and noticed i couldn't play any of my digital games. Then I realized that ps3 is now only allowed on 2 consoles, my other problem is my first 2 ps3 are dead so guess im gonna have to do a ticket to reset them

[Kristmas2]

55 minutes ago, Lord_Bane999 said:

I don't know if they have changed anything since then but when I deactivated the ps3s after I no longer had them from my account about 5-6 years ago (cause idiot me didn't realize there was a system limit) even back then you could only deactivate ps3s one of two ways 1. On the console itself or 2. By sending in a form that you and to fill out to Sony

 

Even if you used live chat back then they would just direct you to the form. But you also typically had to send a form for each one you wanted deactivated as well so if you had 3 or 4 systems better hope the wait won't be long.

 

In regards to long wait times and broken service tickets. This could be due to either them closing the forums and faq this year possibly broke some tickets (they use to use the community forums and faq as a quick route to answering tickets automatically). They could have lower staffing currently for support due to Covid-19 closures. (Facebook support I know right now currently is a mess like this with some people getting replies on their tickets that they can't be followed through currently.)

You also could deactivate it through Sony website, by choosing "deactivale all systems" till last week.

33 minutes ago, blkburn123 said:

im having the same problem. Went to plug my ps3 in last week and noticed i couldn't play any of my digital games. Then I realized that ps3 is now only allowed on 2 consoles, my other problem is my first 2 ps3 are dead so guess im gonna have to do a ticket to reset them

 

Could you try to deactivate on website and tell us how it went?

[blkburn123]

yeh i tried on the website and it said it you an only do it once every 6 months like everyone else.

[DanTheMan1999]

This issue has been going on for over 6 months unfortunately, I still haven't been able to deactivate a PS3 on my account

[Kristmas2]

3 minutes ago, DanTheMan1999 said:

This issue has been going on for over 6 months unfortunately, I still haven't been able to deactivate a PS3 on my account

I was able to deactivate multiple ps3 accounts till last week, so it is broken since two weeks, no longer..

[Gage]

I got the form through support chat on Monday, but still waiting for a response on it. 

[Conker]

So it’s fine still to do through the ps3?