PSP & Xbox 360 “Most Returned Consoles In UK”

jimmy-google 42 Comments

Apparently Sony’s PSP and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 are the most returned consoles in the UK this year. The PSP takes the unwelcome crown of being the most returned “tech gadget” with 6.2% returned. It’s not great reading for Sony has they feature three times in the top 10 but they will be pleased that the PS3 doesn’t.

Nintendo will be the happiest of all as neither the Wii nor DS feature. The figures are based on purchase return statistics from My Voucher Codes who have also carried out a little research on why items are being returned.

It’s no surprise to see cost being a major factor. Of the 1,833 people surveyed over 40% returned their items after weighing up “whether or not they can actually afford to keep it”. 34% said they returned the item as they experienced “disappointment” with the device. With the price of the PSP being cheaper than most of the rest of the top 10 it would seem that disappointment is probably the main reason for PSP returns. The PSP2 just can’t come quickly enough.

Without a breakdown of which Xbox 360 consoles are being returned it’s hard to tell whether price is an issue for the console. One statistic Microsoft may want to take note of, with the impending release of Kinect, is that 17% purchased items as “they were often influenced to buy products based on hype.”

Though that will be music to Microsoft’s ears they won’t like hearing that 82% of those purchasers had also returned items in the last year where only 62% of all the people surveyed had done so.  1,833 may only be a small number when compared to the millions of consoles and gadets sold in the UK but it does provide a little insight.

The full top 10 is below.

1.    Sony PSP – 6.2%
2.    Kindle – 5.7%
3.    Apple iPad – 4.9%
4.    Microsoft Xbox 360 – 4.8%
5.    HTC Desire phone – 4.6%
6.    iPhone 4 – 4.5%
7.    Sony Reader eBook – 4.2%
8.    TomTom satnavs – 4.1%
9.    Motorola Bluetooth headsets – 4%
10.  Sony netbooks – 4%

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42 Comments

  1. Seems odd that the iPad is so high up. And I’d of thought the iPhone 4 would be much higher.

    • The iPhone 4 signal debacle did quite a bit of damage so I can see why it features highly.

      • very true totally get why that’s there should be a bit lower down maybe.

      • I meant a higher percentage of returns, not higher up in the list!

  2. I returned psps just because new ones were to be announced… I think this time I’ll stick with Go as it is a brilliant handheld console..

  3. Sad to see Apple products being returned. That’s like dumping a kitten by the side of the road.. :'(

    • Not suprised by the iPad. To buy a £500-£600 gadget you’ve got to make sure you’re going to use it; it’s a bit much for an impulse buy.

      • 500-600 GBP???

        Here in the convict land they sell for $649 AUD (Non 3g).

    • Yes because Kittens are also pointless and annoying but look nice initially.

      • Agreed, but there’s no RSPCi to step in if you neglect, abuse and throw it at the shop window where you initially bought it from. For example. *coughs*

    • yeah but, you can get away with dumping an ipad in a wheely bin without someone pulling out cctv evidence and getting the media to turn you into a national pariah…just saying!

  4. I take it this is from returns within the 28 day period after purcahse?

    • Presumably its returns under the distance selling act as it comes from a voucher site

      People would make a purchase using whatever discount code, receive the product and then be unhappy with it for some reason so send it back.

      the voucher site would track these returns because they would be losing out on their affiliate revenue through the returning of the items and that’s where this list came from

      • Cheers cc_star, that makes sense. With any survey you need to know the background to it for the data to have meaning. Surveys and their results are so easily manipulated to represent whatever an author wants.

      • If that’s the case, these results could well be skewed by cash-back schemes. I have known people to order high priced items so that the cash-back tracks, and then return them.

  5. Only Console I have ever returned has been an Xbox 360, it was a spanker and when I turned it on it RROD.

    That was the second [third I had owned technically as the original died, was sent to MS for them to replace, then that died].

    Never went back, never will…..

  6. What sick person would return a HTC Desire? :O

    • There are some twisted people in this world. My Desire is currently competing with my PS3 for the crown of Best Gadget I own.

      • Yup, Desire is awesome. Thank god I removed my apple blinkers

      • I have a Nexus One which I won (yes I=lucky sod) and it is truly an awesome device. I love that it’s basically the same as the Desire except more open thanks to being a direct Google sell. Cyanogen is my homeboy :)

      • I went for the Galaxy S rather than the Desire, but I know what you mean :) :)

  7. The biggest surprise for me is TomTom sat navs, I thought they were the bees knees of the GPS market?

    • Prob cos so many of them are sold, and then people realise they dont use it or want to return it for a slightly better tomtom! there are so many out there that differ very little in what they actually do

    • I agree Grey_Ghost13. Most people I know who have bought one have only been surprised in a positive way

      • I’m happy with Go! Explore for my PSP. Great little device

  8. At first I was shocked at the iPhone 4 making this list.. Then I remembered the death grip =P

  9. Surprised by the HTC Desire..

  10. For the love of God why do people continue give My Voucher Codes publicity from their ridiculous surveys? They are a voucher code website! And not one of their so-called surveys has been worth the kilobytes they were saved on!

    They are made to provoke people and get people talking (and clicking on their site), didn’t they do one a while ago based on the absurd assumption that the 360 was outselling the newly launched PS3 Slim 10 to 1 based on how many people clicked on voucher codes for each console, or something equally stupid!

    You would get a more scientific and newsworthy analysis if you did your own TSA poll on the subject!

    • The returned percentages by item aren’t from a survey. CC_star has given a good suggestion about how they’ve come to these numbers higher up.

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